White and Green
by Hoaryu
Summary: A simple series that focuses on the dynamic relationship between Blanc, Vert, and the twins.
1. Chapter 1, Part 1

_Believe it or not Blanc and Vert are the reason I began writing in the first place. Well, I started drawing in order to contribute to my old haunt and that didn't end well. It was pretty bad and I'm sure with practice...lots of practice at that I could've been able to produce something decent but writing is something that's much easier on the eyes and morale but ANYWAY, this short series will obviously focus on the Goddesses of Lowee and Leanbox. Hopefully you enjoy and as usual things take a slow start before snowballing into something grand. Oh yeah, while Green and White as better ring to it, Blanc comes first because like Black and Purple, things are being seen from her perspective.  
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"I don't...hah...think...I'm going to make it..." Mina had finally caught up with me but was out of breath from losing our pursuers. We've had the misfortune of drawing bad straws and have been left with just the clothes on our backs, with no way to defend ourselves, as we tried to return to home. "Lady Blanc...can we please surrender? At this rate I'll faint from exhaustion..."

"Shh!" I clasped my hand over her mouth and took a quick peak around the corner. No sign of our foes but I can't run the risk of her complaining alert them. "That's not the kind of talk I want spewing out of my oracle's mouth." I whispered as I dragged her from the building we were hiding behind to another, and then down the following alley into a small shopping plaza. "You handle a pair of obnoxious twins. MY obnoxious twins at that, so if you can't handle a little game of cat and mouse you can start packing." I don't really mean that, but sometimes when Mina or anyone gets wimpy a little pep-talk is all they need to recover. Well, that or few swift kicks to their-

"F-forgive me! I was having a moment of weakness, it won't happen again!"

"Shut up!" This time I slapped a hand over both our mouths and checked the plaza for any sudden movements. A few seconds of absolute silence and we both relaxed and started thinking of our next move. I really wish people would grow a pair when things like this happen, it would make moving around much easier. Not that it matters since we're fairly close to the basilicom now. Just a few more blocks and we're home...provided Mina doesn't collapse on the way. She shook my shoulder and gasped, pulling me out of harm's way as a medium sized snowball landed where I stood with a sickening plop.

We both looked up and to our horror we were greeted by one of the little monsters waving at us from the rooftop. I could barely make out what she was saying but it was obvious that our downtime had been cut short and we needed to move. "You have to learn to speak up Rom!" ...and it was cut even shorter by Mina's encouraging words. I couldn't help but to groan and look at her as she bashfully turned towards me while waving her hands and shaking her head. "I-I was only trying to-" I put my hand up to silence her and looked up to see Rom had vanished already, probably to give our location away to Ram.

"If you were anyone else I would've ditched you by now. It was only a matter of time before they caught up with us so there are no more surprises." We're so close to victory, we just need pull out all the stops. "Come on, if we run the rest of the way without stopping we'll make it." Well, I'm sure I'll make it but I'm not sure how much longer Mina will last. With an outfit like hers I would've expected her to not even bother but she's done a good job of keeping so far...if only she had stamina...

We took a few steps into the plaza and was greeted by a white blur that whizzed passed us. "Heeeeeeeee!" Its screeching continued until it flew into the alley we had just left and stopped shortly after a wet splat. From the other side of the area Ram came out of hiding with a mischievous grin on her face. "Finally decided to give up?" As she said that small pillars of snow started rising around our perimeter...which would be nice if they were tall enough to stop us from escaping. I give her credit for trying but she doesn't think things through, unlike her sister...then again Rom wouldn't actually go through something as sneaky as a trap so I guess on their own they aren't much of a threat.

"We're giving you brats one last chance to stop us and then we're gone." I think this special training session has gone on long enough. They didn't put a lot of effort into stopping us before so this must've been the big plan they were relying on. I glanced at Mina and saw she was doing her best to look composed but I could see her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath still. "Actually...no. We'll call it here so the two of you win for now." Ram's smile faded a little as I declared them the winners for this little match and didn't try to hide the fact that she was looking up at Rom. "You can drop it Rom, we surrender!"

After a loud splat and a little snowball debris flew passed us I could hear Rom grunt as she landed in the final surprise they had in store for us. "Aww...we were so close too..." I patted her on the head and beckoned for Ram to come towards us for a group hug. "How did we do?"

Ugh, time for grades. I can't give them a crappy grade or else they'll feel as they didn't do anything worth a damn and if I give them too high of a grade it will get to their heads and they'll get full of themselves. This is probably my least favorite part of our sessions but it has to be done. "Overall for Rom I'd say...B-. You were much more covert in tracking us than your sister and provided support for her siege magic. Your traveling from roof to roof was a...surprise to say the least." Although I'll have to knock some sense into Nisa for even putting this idea into her head. "As for Ram...C."

"Lame!" She tried to pull away from my hug but I kept her in check and brought her close and tightened my grip on her. "Why? I did good didn't I?"

"Yes, up until you got a little help from your monster demon friend or whatever. If you're going to cheat at least make your helpers shut the hell up. I recognize that 'hee-ho' from anywhere." She buried her face into me and I could hear her sniffle a little. Ah crap, this is why I hate giving them bad grades. "...other than that you did a decent job at fencing us in here..." Telling her the pillars were on the short side probably would've crushed her spirits but as long as they learn from this I guess it won't matter too much in the long run. "Oh Mina, feel free to head back to the basilicom if you want. I'm sure the girls will want to have a snack after all this running around they've done."

She dropped the act and breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew! Thank you Lady Blanc. Would you like the usual when you return?" I nodded silently while letting go of the girls and sent Mina on her way. I'm actually impressed with how well she kept up in that outfit of hers, but that's a mystery for another day.

"What kinda snack do you want to get Rom?" Ram quickly got over her less than stellar grade and was already trying to decide on what they should get. She grabbed her sister by the hands and started dancing excitedly as she came up with an idea. "We should get smoothies!"

"Hmm...how about hot cocoa instead? We can put all kinds of marshmallows in that and get two snacks at once."

Ram was quick to change her mind and dragged her sister off to the nearest coffee shop. I'm surprised at how much influence Rom has over her...thankfully she isn't as wild as her younger sibling or else I would've lost my mind by now. They're already out of sight so I should probably start heading there myself, I wouldn't mind a cookie or two to go with what Mina's brewing.

As I slowly made my way to the Star Bean Cafe I realized that today was unusually peaceful despite playing with the twins. It was barely afternoon and the sun was almost completely hidden by a thick blanket of clouds with only a few beams of light sneaking through the cracks in the sky. As I turned the corner a cool breeze seemed to push me forward, blowing my hat off and carried it further down the street towards the twins and...someone that they had come across just outside of the cafe. I ran to get my hat back as soon as possible and realized who they were talking to...and my heart skipped a beat.

"I dunno why but Vert brought us all lunch!" The twins were getting two small bags of food and took a seat on the other side of the cafe entrance. They pulled out little sandwiches and looked like they were having fun eating food straight from Leanbox, but I don't see the big de-

"Blanc." I turned my attention back to Vert and the first thing I noticed was her face was completely flushed and she was fidgeting a little. She motioned for me to sit down as well and I did so without thinking while putting my hat back on. She's either sick or up to something, she doesn't normally get that red in face unless she's talking about her weird novel games. "How are things?"

"Things are fine." She still has another small bag of food with her and she's giving me weird looks. I'm getting that funny feeling in my chest again and it's starting to be a pain in the ass just sitting across from her. "What's with the extra bag Thunder Tits?" I grabbed it, assuming it was mine, because there's no way this tiny amount of food would be enough for her...although I'm a little flattered and offended that she got this with me in mind.

"Oh, I nearly forgot about that. I didn't want you to feel left out so I got you a kids' meal as well." I stopped dead in my tracks the second 'kid' left her lips. I can't stand being called flat in the first place and lately people have been calling me and Neptune children, and for Vert to come here and give me food designed for kids when she knows damn well that I hate that is just... "I wasn't sure what your opinion on Leanbox fastfood was so I got you something light to give you taste." ...oh. Damn...now I kind of bad for assuming the worst.

"Really? This isn't some subtle jab at my childish appearance or something like that?" I pulled out a small, hot sandwich and a small pack of potato wedges while waiting for an answer. I haven't had much today besides my little morning tangerine so I might as well dig in.

"Of course not. Why would I want to make fun of you and your adorable little body?" Vert responded with such a genuine smile that I nearly choked on my wedges...or fries if I remember correctly. But...adorable? "What's the matter? Do you not like it?"

"Ack! No no, that's not it, the food is fine. These fry things are little salty but it's good for the most part." Once again my chest started hurting when my thoughts when I focused more and more on Vert, but I ignored it and went on with what I had say. "Just what the hell is wrong with you? You usually sling an insult my way or puff out that massive chest of yours my way or-"

"Vert! Vert! Wanna chuck snowballs with us for a little bit? We ate all our food so you can't say no!" This is probably one of the few times I'm glad Ram and Rom have interrupted a conversation of mine. I'll be able to sort my thoughts better when I'm not staring into those droopy blue eyes of hers. I should probably call up Compa, I think I'm coming down with something and I can't risk Mina or the girls catching whatever this is.

"If you insist but please, go easy on me." She got up and they all walked towards a nearby field of snow and started playing while I went back to eating. Maybe Vert is the one that's sick and she's out of her mind. Why else would she come all the way to Lowee to give us lunch? "Yah! R-Ram please, don't throw snowballs at my chest!"

"You should keep your giant knockers out of sight then! Get her again for me!" I finished my fries as she yelped and I couldn't help but smile. There's something different about watching the twins have their way with Vert this time. Normally I'd be laughing and joining them in harassing her but now...it's like I'm...like I'm watching my family grow or something. I'm sure the girls would welcome the idea of me and Vert getting together and-"What the HELL am I thinking? Vert, your weird Leanbox cuisine is making me go nuts...?"

The twins were scrambling over to Vert as she fell to the ground for some reason. Ram immediately burst into tears and Rom was frantically waving for me to come over to them. "B-Blanc! Vert collapsed and she's breathing funny!" I sprinted as fast as I could over to them and dropped to my knees to tell Vert everything would be ok, but before I could speak she weakly reached for my face while smiling.

"S-sorry...Chika said I shouldn't be out, but I just wanted to ask...you..." Her arm fell to her chest as she passed out before finishing her sentence.

"Vert? Vert!" Shit, I have to get her back home...to HER home before she gets worse. "Rom, take care of Ram and get both your asses back to the basilicom. Tell Mina I'll be back whenever, something came up." As long as they're together I don't have anything to worry about...provided they listen! "Get going already!" As the girls ran off to the basilicom I prepped myself for the long haul...I'm going to have to give Vert a piggyback ride all the way back to Leanbox. "You dumbass...this is what phones are for."


	2. Chapter 1, Part 2

_Oops, in my attempt to work on these as much as possible, I forgot to get this one out a while ago. Well, here it is and please bear with Vert, she's having some technical difficulties but Blanc is on the case and taking care of the green Goddess. Some more things begin to unravel as we get near the big event that will help either bring these two closer together, or drive them further apart. Hope you enjoy._

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This is one of the few times I've entered the Leanbox basilicom without the twins and it feels strange, to say the least. I've never really had a reason to come here by myself, but the girls ask to play here when they do exceptionally well on drills sometimes. They insist on calling Vert their 'bigger' sister and I have a hard time telling if they're making fun of me or genuinely think of her as an older sibling. I don't know why they bother when they have me... "Chika? Hey, Chika!" I'll try to figure out the deal with the girls is later, I need to get Vert taken care of and her damn oracle isn't around to help. I was ready to shout as loud as I could when the huge load on my back grunted and stopped me in mid-inhale. The closer I got to her room the more she squirmed and made noises until she rubbed her face alongside mine.

"Nngh...Farewell everyone...you were one of my favorite...guilds...mmm..." Is she seriously talking in her sleep? It sounds like she's saying good-bye to one of her online groups, but that can't be right. That would mean she's quitting something in an online game and I've never known her to stop anything in one of those.

"Finally." I gently opened the door to Vert's room and was greeted by the usual collection of young men posters, figures, and other things I'd rather not pay too much attention to. I honestly don't care that she's into this stuff but if she ever tries to introduce this crap to Ram or Rom I swear I'll...no, now isn't the time for thinking stupid things like that, I have to change Vert out of these cold clothes and-wait, change? "Chi-!" I was ready to yell for Chika to get in here and finally do what I'm sure she's dreamed of, but the last thing I wanted to do was wake up Vert.

"Ch-Chika...I th-think you're taking my ov-verheating...t-t-too seriously." She readjusted herself on my back and went back to snoring lightly. I pulled the sheets back on her bed and laid her down before I realized something that made me freeze in place.

I might see Vert naked. I mean, someone has to change her out of these clothes and her damn oracle is nowhere to be seen! I immediately broke into a cold sweat and nervously walked towards her closet and looked around for what she considered nightwear. Every outfit I went through was just as revealing as the last one! "How the hell am I supposed to warm her up when all these gowns barely cover anything!" I whispered to myself in frustration before settling on the longest green gown I saw, but that wasn't saying much considering the size of all of them. I put it up against myself and as expected it was too big for me to wear...and I have to keep telling myself this is no time to get upset with her, not when she's in such poor health at least. It's only a matter of seconds before I see them-er, before I get Vert into better clothes. I stood and looked down at her, with her nightgown in my arm, and watched silently as she breathed peacefully and moved about a bit before staring up at the ceiling to think aloud. "I wonder how much she's really holding back..."

"Good evening, my prince." I guess I'll wait until she's done talking to herself. Wouldn't want to interrupt her weird BL dream, no telling what will...happen...to...is she looking at me? "Oh my, you looked surprised~" She said in a strained, yet gentle voice. "This isn't the first time you've come to visit me and I see you've got my change of clothes ready. You're quite anxious tonight, aren't you?"

Oh shit. My entire body froze as I stared into Vert's droopy, sapphire eyes as she got up to lean back against her headboard. I couldn't even gulp down my fear and confusion as she drowsily smiled at me. I managed to nod and remained silent in hopes that this was all just a crazy dream for her.

"Well? Are you going to stand there-" A few light coughs interrupted her, but she continued speaking after the small fit was over. "-excuse me. Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help nurse your princess back to health?" Prince and princess? If this is a BL dream it's the strangest one I've ever seen...not that I'd ever want to see them but I need to get it together, get her dressed, and get the hell out of here. Vert's gloves were already off and were on their way towards my feet by the time I regained my composure.

"I'll get started." I said in a low tone as I nervously approached her and started fooling around with her collar. It was a little tricky but I finally undid the little attachments on it and with a quick snap her dress had gotten loose and she barely caught herself. "Sorry." I've gotten surprisingly calm in the short time it took to get start undressing Vert. I need to hold on for a few more minutes and I can leave...but I won't be sure she's doing fine if I leave right away. I wouldn't even think of abandoning Ram, Rom, or even Mina alone until they started showing signs of improvement at least...I couldn't leave their sides at all actually if they ever got that sick.

Vert cleared her throat and snapped me out of my thoughts again. She was shaking her a head little, still smiling, and wagging her finger towards while keeping her chest covered. "Shame on you, trying to leer at your princess without permission. Avert your eyes." Is she really scolding her supposed prince in her sleep? I guess I have no choice but to close my eyes, f-feel around, and pray this is over before something goes horribly wrong. I heard a very quiet zipper, followed by the sounds of sheets and clothes ruffling about before I felt something cold and slightly damp land on my feet. "I'm ready~"

I tightened my grip on the gown and took a few careful steps forward until I could feel the edge of the bed. Vert's hand touched my shoulder and I used that as guide as I slipped her into the thin, green apparel I had picked out for her. Slowly...carefully...I inch forward a little more and I can feel her breath as I pull her gown down and secure it snug on her body. "Hm..." This fabric feels pretty nice now that I've actually put my hands on it, maybe if I focus on this I can get through the rest of this ordeal...is this silk? Regardless I can't take my hands off of it, despite Vert being the one wearing it. Or is it because she's the one wearing it? No, I can't let my mind wander any more than it already has, not when I've got my hands on such soft-

She gasped and the next thing I knew I was reeling back from a strong slap to the face. "How audacious! To try and have your way with your princess while she's ill..." The tone of her was more playful than I could imagine, considering she just left my face stinging a little. "If you're feeling amorous, my prince, you would do well to help relieve me of my ailments." Why...why am I not getting angry at her? I should be shaking her awake and trying to talk sense into her regardless of how she's feeling in a blind fit of rage but I can't help but to...crack a smile, nod, and walk towards the kitchen. But not before bumping into the door on the way out of course...

Shortly after leaving her room a gentle melody started ringing from my jacket pocket. This ringtone was one of the few things I asked from IF when she offered us all a phone plan, and she was happy to make one. The girl has a talent when it comes to these things and I'm glad I got this white one for my self and a matching pair for the twins. I just wish I chose all those crazy features, I don't really feel like answering but who knows who it could be. "Look, I'm a little busy right now so-"

"That's a load of a boo-diddly and you know it Blanc. Reading is hardly busywork."

"What do you want Neptune?"

"Whatcha doin'?" Leave it to a girl like Neptune to call for no good reason. I can't be bothered to deal with her and her chipper attitude right now.

"Just like you said, I'm reading. So if it's not important don't bother calling for the rest of day, got it?"

After a little pause Neptune spoke up again. "That's funny, because you're not in your den." Wh-what the hell happened to that cheery voice she was speaking in a few seconds ago and how does she know I'm not there?

I finally reached the kitchen and I'm getting creeped out by the sudden change of tone in the conversation. "You're full of it. Ok, so I'm not there now but I'm on the way, so your ass better be go-"

"How's Vert?"

My heart skipped a beat but I managed to cough up a response. "Why would I know how she is? She's probably fine playing those online games of hers."

Another brief silence and Neptune started talking again. "If that's what you want to call it be my guest. You might want to make soup or something though, I'm sure she'd appreciate it." Before I could ask her how she knew what I was up to she cut me off with her happy-go-lucky babbling. "Later Blanc! I've got plans for us tomorrow so don't stay up too late!"

She hung up and I was left wondering what just happened while I searched through the kitchen cabinets. If I wasn't busy trying to nurse Vert back to health I'd be storming to Planeptune to knock some sense into that pudding nut. It didn't take long before I found a can of chicken soup, busted it open, and brought it to a light boil before giving it a little taste to make sure it wasn't to hot for the pri-Vert. I shouldn't be smiling when I think about this stupid prince and princess nonsense, especially since I'm not princely material but...maybe I'll ask her about it when she's in the right state of mind. First things first though, I have to get this soup to her before it gets cold.

"Ah, my prince, you've just missed my vassal." Nice to see she's still delirious, but who's the vassal she's talking about? Oh wait, Chika of course. I swear she's like a damn cat or something. It's not my fault Vert got herself this sick. I brought her back so the least she could do is show her face, be grateful and help out or something. "Ooh, you've brought just the food I was thinking of." She scooted over a little and patted the part of the bed she wanted me to sit when a thought crossed my mind.

"Since you're sick...would you mind if I fed you? I can't have my princess straining herself over something as little as food." I give up. I might as well go along with her crazy roleplaying, it's not like she'll remember me playing along. I smiled as I prepped a spoonful of soup to hide the worry of my previous thought. It's like taking care of my girls, but there's something a little different about the way I feel right now.

I inched the spoon towards Vert's lips but she refused to open her mouth and turned away from me. "If you truly loved your princess you'd at least cool the soup down a little." She folded her arms and waited patiently for me to do as she demanded. I don't hate her, but would I call how feel about her love? We argue, constantly call each other names and are always trying to find a way to get ahead of each other...I guess I could say I do in the same way I love the twins. I'll think it over later. I gently blew the serving of soup and she happily slurped it up, and we kept up a decent pace until she finished the entire bowl.

I put the empty dish aside on a nearby nightstand and stretched as Vert made herself comfortable under her sheets. "I hope you feel better in the morning. I'll see myself out if you don't mind."

"Of course I mind. I'm under the weather and my prince is going to leave me all to my lonesome? Unacceptable. I'm still feeling quite cold so I ask that you keep me company until I say otherwise." She pulled the sheets up from behind her and signaled for me to go back over to her.

I've just come to realization that I don't mind Vert all that much, but to spend the night with her not even five minutes after that is a little too fast for me. But what if this is my only chance? I can confirm just how strongly I feel about her and I'd be doing for the sake of her health, so some good will come of this. I put my shoes, jacket, and hat aside and climbed in bed and hugged her from behind. "Is this acceptable?" I honestly wasn't even roleplaying at this point, I wanted to make sure I wasn't holding onto her too tightly and making her uncomfortable. I can see why the girls want her as a big sister now, I feel so...secure holding onto her and I don't want to leave. I know I'm lacking in a lot of areas so I'm sure I'm not enough for the both of them so maybe including Vert into the family wouldn't be a bad idea...whether it be sister or... "Hey, Vert?" I whispered to her before I noticed she was fast asleep, snoring and mumbling to herself peacefully.

"Ngh...Ram, Rom, stop teasing your sister...it's not her fault she's...flat..."

"Tch." It sounds like she's returning to normal and no matter how much I might care for her I'm not going to let her get away with crap like that. I shifted my arms up a bit and gave her chest a firm squeeze.

"Haaaa~" With that gentle sigh she fell silent and snored the night away. I've always wanted to do that, but she's insulted those less fortunate than her for far too long. I'll be sure to pay her back again some other time...but I'll settle for nestling with her for now.

How will she react if I'm upfront with how I feel though? There's all this talk-well, sleeptalk or whatever it's called about a prince so she might not even consider getting close with me and the girls. No telling what this person is like either, considering that she's calling him a prince of all things, but I'll worry about that when I wake up. Tomorrow is going to be a long day...


	3. Chapter 2, Part 1

_It looks like Blanc decided to play along with Vert's sleepy charade and ended up staying the night. Perhaps that was the extra little something Vert needed for a speedy recovery, but how will things turn out now that Blanc has essentially made herself at home? And what about Chika? Surely she's not too fond of someone sweeping her goddess off her feet. Please enjoy another easy going chapter, because the next one...well, you'll see in due time. Also, excuse the slightly shorter chapter.  
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"Mmm..." I don't remember my bed being so...soft. I'm tempted to act a little like Neptune and sleep the day away...or at least sleep in for five more minutes. No, I can't do that, I'd be setting a bad example for Ram and Rom. That and Mina would give me a rude awakening, on top o-wait a minute. Where's my body pillow? I could've sworn I was holding on to a huge, fluffy one last night and I thought I had a good grip on it...unless the twins took it! That has to be what happened to it, I wouldn't have let something so comfortable out of my grasp...although when I got something like that is beyond me. "Ram. Rom. So help me if either of you have my pillow I'm going to..." Ugh, getting up left me with a groggy feeling in my head so I think I'll spare them for now.

My eyes refused to open all the way as I made my way out of my room and I ended up bumping into the frame of the door. I've got the feeling something like this happened to me recently but I'm way too busy wondering where the hell everything is to remember. Nothing is where it should be and when I rubbed a little sleep from my eyes I saw a bunch of unfamiliar furniture and a strange figure running towards what looked like a kitchen. I made my way over there and was assaulted by the strong scent of eggs and vegetables. I'll bug Mina about these gaudy changes to the basilicom after I eat whatever she's cooking up, I think I skipped out on food yesterday and I can't remember why. "Good morning Blanc!"

"Tch...morning Lady Blanc."

"Morning Mi-" Two voices? I rubbed my eyes again and fully woke myself up to see Vert sitting across the table from me in alluring night wear and Chika standing near the stove, wearing an apron and flipping something big and yellow in a pan. I nearly jumped out of my seat before everything came rushing back to me; Vert got sick and I had to haul her ass back here. She looks fine now, so I guess my job here is done. I was going to leave without a word when my stomach began growling...loud enough for Vert and Chika to hear over the sizzling of the food being prepped.

"Oh my, is our little goddess skipping out on meals?" Vert asked in a teasing voice as Chika placed a plate with a large yellow...mass that was decorated with what looked like chopped vegetables and meat in front of her. Is that...supposed to be an omelet? "You're already wasting as it is, dear, you should have some Leanbox cooking. Chika, would you mind cooking up another one of your Fuzion Omelettes?" That plate and that thing is huge, does she plan on eating that all now?

"Do I really have to cook up another one for 'her'?" Chika whined. Just hearing the way she speaks to anyone that isn't her precious Vert pisses me off to no end. So much in fact that I think I appreciate Mina a little more, despite what some people say about her. I think I'll compliment her or something when I get back to Lowee in fact, especially after recently volunteering to join us in our drills.

Vert silently nodded, with a smile that shut Chika up, and took a few more bites before speaking to me again. "Now Blanc, can you tell me why you're in Leanbox so early in the morning?"

"You're kidding, right?" I know she was a little out of it last night, but to completely forget what happened yesterday kind of stings. "You dragged your ass all the way to Lowee for some stupid reason, collapsed, and got dragged back here by me. Or were you so burned out on your online games that everything yesterday was a blur?" Pfft...forgetting what happened last night...I couldn't help but fold my arms and pout a little as Vert giggled through my explanation.

"Oh that's silly and you know it. According to Chika I was here all day yesterday grinding in one of my favorite MMOs and you were the one who came crawling here. Quite pathetically if she's to be believed." I didn't know what was worse: Vert completely forgetting about my helping her, her falling for Chika's painfully obvious lies and slander, or the weird look she's shooting at me. Before I could even begin trying to figure out what she was trying to get at she stopped as Chika turned around and carelessly dropped a plate in front of me.

"Well...here you go...enjoy..." She said half-heartedly before turning back to the stove again. "Great, I'm out of green peppers. It's not like I wanted to eat with the best big sister in the world or anything." She barely hid the anger in her voice and hastily cast her apron aside in a huff. As she turned our eyes met and I swear I've never seen a human with such cruel intent emitting from them. Not that she'd ever be a threat though considering she's probably wimpier than Mina when it comes down to it. "Ugh! I'll be back whenever I guess...bye Vert."

I guess now is a good a time as any to start eating this...Fuzion thing. I can't get over how big this thing is, and I'm supposed to finish this in one go? As Vert said her farewells to Chika I took my fork, which was also slightly larger than normal, and cut up a generous slice before cautiously taking a bite. "Hmm..." This isn't that bad actually! I was sure Chika would've ruined this somehow but I guess since her precious so-called sister asked her to do this she didn't do anything funny. I better distract her with something though, she's giving me the same look she did in Lowee and I'm getting mixed feelings again. She better not pass out on me again. "So...whose bright idea was it to make a plate-sized egg with a bunch of stuff in it? It tastes great but it looks like someone just threw a bunch of meat and vegetables in it and called it a day."

"That's correct." My mouth was full and I could only manage to grunt in response with how casually she answered me. "It was around the time I had an amazing week of PvP in one of my MMOs a while back and Chika was being more persistent than usual in trying to get me to eat. I took a break every now and then to take care of some personal things, but she insisted I waste time on eating instead of rising through the ranks." She sighed as she took the last few bites of her giant omelet. Wait, when did she sneak in so many bites? "I had to secure my place in the top 5% of players before the deadline so I asked Chika to make something that was full of what she thought would be appropriate to catch me up on my missing meals. What you're eating now is obviously several eggs mixed in with various meats, mostly sausage and a little bacon, along with a variety of peppers and a few seasonings."

Neptune and I joked about everything being bigger in Leanbox, but this is just...damn. I was a fool to think there some actual thought put into this but I guess Chika decided to just throw something onto a pan and see how it turns out. Well, it's good and all but I've barely put a dent in this thing...I don't think I can finish it even though I barely ate yesterday. How did she go a whole week without eating though? I need to keep her distracted and figure out how to finish this thing. "Why do you play those online games so much anyway? I've been wondering for the longest time why you glue yourself to so many of them and...Vert?" Her smile faded and she got up to put her plate away and stopped near the sink.

"For the thrill of competing with others around the world, among other reasons of course." She sighed and turned around while leaning against the counter. "Sadly that thrill has vanished from some of my games and I've been thinking about branching out to other things to keep me occupied. So...I've been meaning to ask you-"

A gentle tune interrupted Vert and I let out a sigh myself, because only one person would be crazy enough to call this early in the morning. I signaled for Vert to hold on to that thought as I begrudgingly answered my phone. "What do you want Neptune?"

"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I wonder whose fault that is~"

I got out of my seat and left the kitchen as soon as I could to avoid drawing suspicion from Vert and snapped at Neptune in a hushed voiced. "What are you trying to get at you nutcase?"

"Noooothing~" She said in a singsong voice. Just how much does she know? I bet the twins told her everything and now she's giving me crap for actually giving a damn about Vert. "Anyway, whatcha doin'?"

"I was eating and had started talking to Vert before you rudely interrupted. Not that we did anything worth mentioning to discuss..." Why the hell did I just say that? Whatever, no point in trying to hide it, I'll just have to beat the crap out of her later for being well, herself. "If you're calling for the sake of calling I'm going to hang up. My food is getting cold and I'm starving."

"Remember when I said I had plans for us? I was thinking of a little something sporty between us ladies and maybe hitting up the beach and stuff. How about it? I'm sure you wouldn't mind letting out some pent up aggression and frustration over not being to...you know..." There she goes again with that annoying cutesy voice of hers...but what really pisses me off is how close she is to being right.

"I have just the sport in mind. Get your ass ready at my court." I couldn't resist a chance like this, she's going to regret teasing me with all this nonsense after I'm done with her. It's bad enough I haven't been able to properly speak to Vert at all this morning, and it doesn't seem like she remembers last night or hell, anything from yesterday...I think a good pounding will help me relax and come up with a foolproof plan. "Hey Vert, I'm about to head out...so..." I turned the corner and was going to tell her I was on my way out when I saw her standing near my chair, looking at my unfinished plate. Her hand was on my chair and she was just...standing there.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Uh...n-not right away. I'm still hungry so I'll be finishing my food before I leave." She sounded so sad it almost hurt to think that I was going to leave her behind...or am I? As I sat down to finish this meal fit for well, anyone native to Leanbox, I tried to look up to Vert but she turned away and started leaving the kitchen. "Hey, want to see Neptune get beaten to a pulp?" I don't know how to properly word this since I'm sure she has no interest in a real sport but it's worth a try.

She stopped in the doorway and looked at me with a hopeful shine in her eyes, which sent a wave of relief through me. "Are you really letting me join you? You left the room so I thought it was a private matter between the both of you."

Phew...I think I can relax a little seeing her smile like that. "It would've been rude to talk on the phone at the table. Of course I want you to come with me...you just need to get out of those damn lewd pajamas of yours and we can head out." She smirked at my remark on her clothing and I think I might have said too much, but before I could say anything else she was already gone. I'm sure Neptune will be late so maybe I can have a little chat with Vert, provided I can make it through this breakfast. "Now how the hell am I supposed to finish in a timely manner?"


	4. Chapter 2, Part 2

_I apologize if it seems like it's taking too long for a little action to kick in, I didn't want this chapter and the next to get too long since it's the first time I've had to write something like this. Think of it as an experiment of sorts that I hope ended up ok, but that has to wait until next chapter. For now, enjoy a little light being shed on this pair of goddesses._

* * *

"Oh please Blanc, that's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time! Ahahaha!"

"W-what the hell are you laughing about Thunder Tits? I'm serious!"

"Ahaha, sorry. It's just...you? Playing sports? YOU? Pfft!" Vert's been doubling over in laughter ever since I told her my plan for the afternoon. I brought her all the way to the recreational area of Lowee and showed her my reserved area at T&F, the giant sports center we have here. The only people that know of my special courts and courses are the twins, Neptune, and several mascots that get together every once in a while for their annual competitions and parties. We were sitting in the private waiting area before the changing rooms and actual courts, and no matter what I did I couldn't even attempt a serious conversation with the way this 'princess' has been acting.

"S-stop laughing dammit! You might find it hard to believe but back when I was new to this goddess thing I was pretty involved in a lot of sports before settling down. How else do you think I manage to keep up with my obnoxious little sisters?" This is exactly why the past needs to stay in the past, I knew I'd get this kind of reaction. If I wasn't about wail on Neptune I sure as hell would teach Vert a thing or two... "Would you shut up already?"

"Aha...alright, I'll try to think of something less outrageous. No wonder you've got such brutish strength compared to everyone else." We're sitting side by side, there's no one else around, and she doesn't have a candidate...I'm getting closer and closer to putting an end to Leanbox right now but these feelings of mine are constantly getting in the way and making my head spin. Not that I'd actually go through with it, but it's getting harder and harder to not clinch my fists in rage. "Ah... So what did you want to talk about again?"

I have to strike now while I can before she has another laughing fit. "Tell me...why do you really play so many online games? You can't say to compete with others because I know you play a few games that are so mindless you can leave it on overnight and still get things done." I turned towards her and looked up at her face, trying to gauge her mood now that she's calmed down. "I want a real answer. There has to be a reason you keep to yourself, and it's not just because of your questionable...adoration for that BL stuff."

"Why do you keep yourself cooped up in your den with books?" She snapped as she faced me, with a hurt and annoyed look on her face.

I was caught off guard by her immediate answer and had to take a few seconds to regain my composure. "I like reading books, so what? I also write or have you forgotten the crap you've had me scribble for you? Not to mention I also have Ram and Rom to take care of." When I mentioned the twins i could see Vert's eyes begn tearing up. "What? What did I say?" It took a few seconds for me to realize why she dodged around the question when I asked her earlier today. "Oh..."

"It's hard admitting that you're lonely after having to endure so many years without family." She began sniffling and wiped her tears away before going on. "Do you know what it's like to have a basilicom nearly void of life? To wander the halls with no interaction with anyone? I have no one to greet in the morning or to say good-night to. Chika is a blessing in her own way and...well...she's only human..."

"I didn't mean to butt into something that isn't my business. If I knew that's how it was I probably wouldn't have asked but...no. Look, it's just...lately I've been thinking that maybe...well the girls want to see more of you and I've sort of been thinking the same." No, speak your mind Blanc, you don't want to end up like a stuttering fool like Noire. "That and maybe it's about time I find someone to hang around with and get to know on a personal level. Ram is starting to get more bold in her pranks and Rom is more than happy to help her out with them. Mina can only take so much punishment and I've been thinking about hiring a second oracle just in case she can't handle it anymore, but a fellow goddess would do me a world of good." I stood up to stretch a little because saying that made me feel a little awkward since Vert had already calmed down by the time I finished. I didn't even know how to say what I did, I just went for it and hoped for the best.

"Oh? This isn't some pity invitation or anything like that?" She said in her usual haughty tone, as if to show that she's over her moment of weakness. That's good, I don't think I could've handled seeing her like that for too long. Ah hell, I think I really do care about Vert...how much is the question though. I doubt I can compete with Mr. Prince but I'm sure I'll win her over this punk.

"Didn't I just say that I genuinely want you around for once? I know I'm not the nicest person to be around but I think we could work something out...or would you rather be with Mr. Prince?" Now is a good a time as any to get this out of the way. I have to know for sure before I continue on with bringing her into the family. I'm willing to fight for-wait, why did she freeze? "Vert?" Her once calm expression was replaced with a wide-eyed, blank stare as her face got more and more red. "Dammit Vert, are you coming down with something again?" I rushed back to her and shook her by the shoulders to try to snap her out of it.

Her mouth moved but I could barely understand what she said until she started giggling nervously. "Wh-what are you talking about I don't know anything about a prince or being a princess please Blanc your lack of feminine assets seem to be a drain on your mind you're talking nonsense. Ehehe...heh..." She didn't even look at me while babbling nonstop but I gave her a few more shakes to try to ger her back to normal. Her eyes darted in my direction and locked onto mine as she stood up and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Blanc..." Her grip tightened as she drew herself closer and closer to my face...her breathing gradually speeding up before...before...!

"Since when did Blanc have connections with sports?"

"Since always!"

As I turned to face the entrance where Neptune and that other familiar voice came from, I felt a great weight lift off my shoulders and a gust of wind blow pass me. "Well hello Neptune! Oh, and Noire as well, how are the both of you?" I knew Vert had some speed but this is insane, I barely saw her dashing over to the entrance...did she just say Noire?

"Blanc's here and she brought Vert along? You didn't say anything about this Neptune, you told me this would be between 'us ladies' and that we'd be engaging in 'healthy competition'." Noire took a few steps in here before waving at me with a luggage bound Neptune following right behind her. "I can tell just from the atmosphere that this is where the best of the best come to compete. It's a good thing you're here actually, or else I'd never believe that you of all people were a part of this." I could see that smirk all the way from over here but I'm not going to fall for her little game. I'm far too concerned with prying the truth from Vert and disciplining Neptune...who didn't say a damn thing about bringing a friend. Then again I dragged Vert but she's not as annoying as Noire. "Well Neptune, what are you waiting for? Get dressed and show me this amazing technique you've kept hidden from me."

"I'm not the only one showing off here, you and Vert are joining us." Neptune said in her usual casual tone. The three of use were left speechless and exchanged dumbfounded looks with each other in disbelief. "What? When I said 'us ladies' I totally meant we'd all be playing. Blanc totally understood me because she invited her favorite lady friend. Since it's the four of us tennis is the perfect game for us, although I would've preferred a little volleyball myself."

I'll freakin' kill you, you lyin' jackass! Ooh, I'm not holding back after the warm-up, she'll be layin' in a crater after I'm done with her. "Tch. C'mon Thunder Tits!" I briskly walked over to other three, grabbed her by the wrist, and dragged her to the locker rooms. "The two of you better wait your damn turn before you come waltzin' in or else!" Neptune knows exactly what she's doing and it's pissing me off how she's getting away with it...maybe getting Vert into something more comfortable will help calm me down...

"I-I don't have a change of clothes though!"

We arrived at one of the V.I.P. locker rooms and I guided Vert in before making sure the coast was clear. "Shut up, I'll think of something." Shortly after that I closed and locked the door behind us to make sure that we didn't get any intruders...and then I realized that there are several sets of locker rooms here to accommodate all the different mascots that travel here to compete. I've made myself look like an ass and I have no way of saving face until we hit the court. Oh well, they won't dare bring it up after this match, not after I break them anyway. Hm, it seems I've already calmed down a bit so it's time to dig around in my personal locker and...uh oh... "How do you feel about wearing a comfy Lowee outfit?" I pulled the biggest outfit I had, which wasn't saying much, and walked over put it up against Vert to see if she could even get in it.

"I don't mind wearing something that will save me from getting my good clothes sweaty. While I haven't played tennis, or an actual sport, I've seen enough to-mmph."

I pressed my one piece sports dress up firmly against her chest in an attempt to gauge how well she can fit in it, and things aren't looking too good...for her anyway. "Looks like this is going to be a tight fit." We stayed silent for what seemed like an eternity before she snatched it away and walked around the corner. "Don't stretch it out too much." I teased as I got into one of my alternate outfits that consisted of a light shirt, shorts, and a little headband that all bore my nations colors, all white with a single blue stripe running across them. That didn't take long at all, but Vert's been awfully quiet...

I peeked around the corner and I saw her struggling with something. "Ngh...nnngh!" She had nothing on but white panties and the dress I gave her...well, if it being almost halfway on counts. I did a horrible job of hiding my amusement and smirked, drawing her attention away from her clothes troubles. "Th-this isn't funny! Help me get this off, I'll just sit on the sidelines and watch!"

"It's too late to back out of this. Do you want Neptune and Noire to win and lord this over us? Ram and Rom could use another strong figure in their lives and you giving up on something as petty as this doesn't fly with me." I went over to check just how she got stuck and the problem was obvious when I got in front of her. Her boobs were too much for something I'd normally wear and she stopped pulling halfway over them, leaving herself partially exposed. It looks like there's still a little slack so I positioned myself behind her and grabbed a handful. "I want, no I need a strong partner so you better brace yourself!"

She stopped her struggling and gasped as I started pulling her clothes down. "What did you just say?"

I really wish we weren't roped into something like this, getting behind and holding onto Vert reminds me of last night and...I want to stay like this. Just for a little while longer I'd like to relax...but there's not a chance of that happening here thanks to my dumbass accepting Neptune's invitation. "I said," I need to stay focused, beat her and Noire, and then take Vert somewhere private so I can finally get this nonsense off of my chest. "I need a strong partner!" I hoisted the dress slightly above her chest, waited for her to take a deep breath, and pulled down with all my might! "See? You can fit my clothes just fine, you just need to keep those boobs of yours in check. Although you might want to wear some shorts or something..." Maybe this wasn't the best idea after all, but I have to admit seeing her in such vulnerable state is pretty cute, to say the least.

"It's...tight...short...ugh..." She was doing her best to stand properly and keep herself from being exposed at the same time but it was all in vain. I reluctantly grabbed the biggest pair of shorts from my locker and tossed them in her direction, and she wasted no time putting them on and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked away and mumbled something under her breath before turning back to me with a determined smile. "We're in agreement that my humiliating ordeal is Neptune's fault, correct?"

"Of course. What do you propose we do?" If she doesn't have the skill necessary she certainly has the guts. It's refreshing to see that spark in her eye again after so many years.

She readjusted her clothes again and finally got to the point where she could move around comfortably, although her chest seemed to suffer from its cramped quarters and looked like she could burst at any moment. "If I may quote someone very dear to me, 'I say we kick their asses!'"


	5. Chapter 2, Part 3

_Hoo man, this chapter was a challenge when it came to the main event. First time writing something sporty like this and I had to think of a way to make it exciting since it's tennis. Not to say that it's a boring sport, it's just when you have a group of girls like these you can't have a normal match, not when they're capable of amazing feats. I didn't get too carried away with said stunts but I really hope you enjoy this, and if I did this game any justice feel free to say so._

* * *

Today's weather had taken a pleasant change from yesterday; clear skies as far as the eye could see, cool temperatures with the sun beaming down enough warmth to balance that out for Vert, and absolute silence with the exception of our footsteps as we headed toward our opponents. It looks like Neptune is wearing her usual one piece tennis dress, with a V shaped neckline, along with her usual goofy arm and leg bands. She always regrets playing in that when we get serious and every time she forgets to get rid of them, and I'd be a fool to pass up a chance to not take advantage of her embarrassment. Noire on the other hand to seems to be the only other one wearing something normal, a pair of shorts and a simple T-shirt that might've been barely big enough for her, thanks to the minor size difference between her and Neptune. Well, minor compared to the difference between me and Vert. It was one of the first things Neptune bought when we started our 'friendly' competitions a while ago. "So how do you want to do this Neptune? Are jumping straight into it or are we going to warm our friends up?"

"We should warm up a little. With us involved they might get hurt or something. What did you say my thingie was? Power or something?" She said as she tossed a pair of racquets towards us.

"You remembered for once. Yeah, your natural affinity revolves around a little speed and technique, but your main focus is power." Although that doesn't matter after things get serious. I, on the other hand, have focused entirely on power to make up for my shortcomings. I don't really need speed when they should barely able to return the ball, and who needs to be fancy when you can just go all out with pure force? This means that Neptune and I are the most likely to deliver powerful smashes, so powerful in fact that we'd have to hold back...if our partners were switched anyway, I wouldn't want to actually hurt Vert. But I don't want to hurt Noire either, for Neptune's sake anyway, but she needs a little humbling. Dammit, why am I wasting my time here again?

"Why waste time warming up? There's no point in delaying our inevitable victory." Noire said as Neptune took a few steps back behind the baseline and dribbled the tennis ball in place. "Of course, if the two of you would rather surrender now than to suffer a humiliating defeat that's understandable, I won't judge."

I was getting ready to give her a piece of my mind when Vert spoke up. "Hmph, big talk coming from someone whose only experience with tennis is a bit part anime." Whoa, Noire actually took a step back when she got called out!

"Wh-what? H-how did you-"

"A woman with interests such as mine must keep up with the latest of trends, especially sports, regardless if it's an anime or not." She posed with an empty hand just below her mouth and laughed condescendingly at our opponents. "I will not let you of all people win, not when you ruined any hopes for the main character and his rival to-"

"Cram it Thunder Tits." I was so close to giving her a high five and congratulating her for knocking Noire down a peg but if we're going to head into that territory I'd rather we just start playing. If they want a real game then we'll give them one! I transformed and pointed my racquet at our black and purple targets with a little enthusiasm . "You bitches won't know what hit you!"

Neptune took her sweet time posing while transforming and immediately looked down at her clothes in embarrassment. "Ugh, again? Can you please remind me to not wear such goofy accessories when I'm in my normal mode? I can't seem to remember to wear accessories that 'this' me will look good in..."

"I'm not your keeper, get your little twin tailed buddy to help you out. Oh, you should transform as well unless you want to get to hurt. Or don't, I don't give a damn." I looked at Vert, who looked a little reluctant to change, and urged her to keep up with me. "What are you waiting for?"

"I can barely keep my beautiful body in your tiny outfit as it is, if I-"

"Don't make me come over there!" I shouted in general and in an instant I could hear the sounds of gasps as they changed into their Heart forms...and the sound of clothes ripping. "What the hell was that?" When the light cleared on other side of the net I saw Black Heart standing there with her midriff almost completely exposed.

I caught a glimpse of Neptune leering at her teammate's exposed skin until she turned around and had to put on a more serious face in order to not get caught. I see where you're getting at with this you damn pervert. If you're going to embarrass someone like this at least do it on your time. As Noire stomped towards her, Neptune shot me a sly grin and a look that seemed to say 'turn around' and...oh no...that cloth ripping was...

I turned and saw Green Heart, covering her chest with one arm and holding down her skirt with the other while still holding her racquet, blushing intensely. "D-don't look!" I couldn't look away no matter hard I tried and my curiosity got the better of me and I ended up getting closer instead. The other two girls were busy with each so I took time to...assess the damage. "Wh-why do these clothes override our processor parts?! How do you expect a lady like me to compete when I'm hardly presentable?"

"Oh how bad can it be? You look fine to me." Without hesitation she moved her hands with a grunt and revealed the damage she had done to the clothes she was trapped in. Her boobs were almost exposed through a huge tear that went horizontal across her chest and was split in several places, like some kind of savage cloth you'd see on an amazon. Her dress on the other hand was hiked up passed her ass thanks to the boost of her transformation and hugged her body tightly as well, and I was awestruck with how...unladylike she looked right now. "Badass..."

"E-excuse me? What are you muttering about?" The confused tone of her voice and her waving her hand in my face brought my attention back to a slightly more important matter.

"I said you look badass, are you deaf?" I think it's already too late for me. I don't know how far I've fallen for Vert but I know now that trying to fight it is pointless. I strummed the strands that were holding her breasts together a few times and glared up at her. "You don't have a problem with looking like a brute like me, do you?"

She flinched and bounced a little as the strings gave off a low note similar to a guitar string. After smirking at me she put a hand on my shoulder and gently pushed me towards the service line. "My outward appearance doesn't matter...much, as I'm an upstanding lady of high society. I would only allow a select few to see me like this but...I'd rather leave looking unkempt and rude to you though." Is this one of those 'moments' that Neptune kept raving about? Something being on the same wavelength of someone you care about and being able to perfectly play off each other's moves? ...Augh, dammit! Why can't I get over what she said about that prince?

"Ha! Aren't you a little old for those childish clothes? We should make their defeat a swift one Neptune, I think it's almost bedtime."

"Noire, I don't mind a little aggressive banter but of all people you shouldn't push-"

"O-old!?"

"You callin' me a kid, bitch!?" We both responded to that cocky woman in unison and took a stance with a new resolve to kick their ass as we waited for them to start the game. "Serve the damn ball already!"

Without hesitation Neptune tossed the ball into the air and hit it with enough force to leave a faint, purple trail behind it. Dammit, starting off with a slice already? I probably shouldn't have left Vert in charge of-

-THWACK-

The ball went soaring passed me and back towards Neptune and her partner, who were just as surprised as I was that it was returning. Noire was unprepared and only managed to lob the ball which set me up for a perfect smash. I jumped and smacked the ball with so much strength that when it struck the ground it left a mark on the clay court. "15-love. At least make things interesting, or is boring us to death part of your plan?" I turned for an instant to catch a glimpse of Vert nursing one of her wrists. She probably underestimated that shot and tried a backhand return and hurt herself in the process.

"If you insist." Neptune said with a smug look on her face as she retrieved the ball and tossed it towards Vert. "Let's alternate serves every point, just to keep it exciting. Come on Vert, let's see a graceful ace." She smiled as she backed up to get ready to retrieve what was probably going to be a bad serve. She knew Vert was stinging after receiving the first one and if I try take over not only will I be doing just what she wants, I'll end up hurting Vert's pride as well...

"Yah!" A soft thwack emitted from behind me as the ball gently soared just barely passed the net, forcing Neptune to sprint forward to lob it after bouncing back above me. If only she didn't hit so far above me I could've easily smashed it back, but I have to rely on Vert for the volley. Wouldn't do us any good to crash into each other and give them a free point so I have to hope that- "Blanc, look out!"

I ducked just into time to avoid the soaring green ball and was defenseless as Noire charged a forehand swing volley. "The first point was a fluke! Get ready for Lastation domination!" She struck the ball and made fiery sparks fly as it veered over my head and curved in mid-air away from Vert. We somehow ended up on the same side of the court and even with her speed Vert barely tapped the ball and it landed just short of the net, tying the score. "What's the score now? 15-All? Oh, sorry, I don't know anything about tennis, right?" I threw the ball at her as hard as I could at her, which she caught it unfortunately, and watched her swap places with Neptune to get ready to serve. "Oh, and that man's rival...also falls in love with the character I voice! I end up becoming a big deal later this season! Ha!"

Vert gasped and ran up to me. "Switch with me, I can't think straight with these spoilers on my mind and I refuse to let her score because of these head games." Tch...can't think straight...she isn't the only one. How am I supposed to focus with her ass literally in view and her nearly bursting out of her clothes?

-THWACK-

I was lost in my own thoughts again about Vert and failed to even hit the ball in time, giving them a service ace and bringing the score to 15-30 in their favor. "Not a freakin' word, I got this." I ran over to grab the ball and chucked it high in the sky to prep up a Zerstorung. I'm tired of playing nice and Noire has no choice but to take the hit or else it's a point in our favor...and it's freakin' Noire, who would pass up a chance like this? "Suck on this!" I stomped down as hard as possible to ground myself in order to aim at Noire's feet properly, and with a little luck I managed to get my attack to fly true and graze the net. I saw a flash of rainbow shooting off of her racquet, but it seemed to shatter upon impact with the ball and failed to send it back over. "Brought it back to 30-All!" As long as Neptune doesn't finish the match like she often does I think we'll be able to win...I probably could've banned the use of skills as big as these but I'm no punk! She needs to learn a little restraint.

"If you insist on going that far already Blanc, I'll be happy to oblige." Dammit, she's up to serve again, no way in hell am I letting Vert take this hit, not when Neptune is starting use her stronger abilities. She tossed her racquet into the air, along with the ball, and struck a pose. "Here's a real Mega Racquet!" Data had swarmed her racquet and increased its size at least three fold, and smashed the ball straight towards me so hard that it was nearly a blur.

"Vert!" Why am I calling out to her? I'm supposed to be taking this hit myself, I don't think her wrists would be able to endure this. I steeled myself while accepting the fact that this might end up tying the game when the ball seemed to slow down and glow a sickly green, courtesy of my amazon-dressed partner. Thanks to her and speed related skills the ball only reached halfway down our side of the court, giving me the chance I needed to at least launch it back to their side. Once again Noire gave off another rainbow glow and countered my weak underhanded return with a more powerful two-handed forehand swing, bringing the score to 40-30, in their favor again. "Sorry, but it's better that I take these killer serves." I guess there was still some kick to that serve of Neptune's, for some reason my body is starting to shake a little. As much as I'd like for Vert to serve, I need her upfront and ready to make quick smashes to pull us into the lead. A normal serve should be enough to hold me over until-"Gah!" My arm! Shit, maybe we should've warmed up after all...I pulled a muscle at the worst possible time and just handed the ball to Neptune, who was charging up what could be the final move of the game.

"It was fun while it lasted Blanc...Vert..." She vanished in a flash of purple and slashed the ball, just barely sending it over the net again.

"Leave it to me!" Vert waved her hands towards her feet and they began to glow a brilliant green before she went for the volley.

My legs were getting heavy and I starting to have trouble just standing, but I managed to cry out to Vert even though it was in vain. "What are you doing dumbass?!" I tagged her with an Andis Support...because like hell am I...no, we aren't going down without a fight! Ugh, and now my stomach is acting funny on top of all of this? Why now of all times?

Neptune appeared again for an instant and volleyed the ball back, and Vert kept up with her speed and returned the favor, leaving Noire and I alone to stare at each other, daring the other goddess to interfere with this light-speed duel. I could see faint energy surrounding her racquet as it began to glow red, so I began empowering mine with Gefahrlichtern as well. Just in time too, Vert and Neptune had both come to a stop right above the net, their racquets clashing with the ball stuck in between causing sparks and chunks of data to fly out from between them. "Neptune..." She's going to go through with that attack after all? Dammit, I don't think I'm going to get the full power of my attack in time but I have to try.

"As expected of the leaders of superior nations. Now lie down and accept your loss!" I saw Noire run behind Neptune and support her, causing fiery sparks to shoot out as well and sent Vert back a few centimeters.

"I can't hold them back much longer by myself...ngh..." She stumbled!

I have to launch my attack now or we'll lose for sure! "Hard..." If I only we had thought about our actions beforehand. Maybe...maybe we could've avoided the game ending like every other thing we do...whenever it's just us we have a tendency to go all out and well, end up like this. I probably could've had alone time with Vert and ignored this stupid ass game as well. Reading or drinking tea together peacefully would've been a much better outcome for today than this. It's too late to consider the other possibilities though, I've already let my final swing go and all I could do was hope that it was enough to stop them winning-no, from destroying us. If only I had taken the initiative and started a few seconds earlier... "...Break!"

"...Break!" And those were the final words any of us heard as the force of all four of us set off a chain reaction, engulfing everything in a white light...


	6. Chapter 2, Part 4

_We return to the girls after an explosive finish. It wasn't a traditional one by any means, it was more like those blasts that were destructive that there was no sound, only light and what was left afterward. Luckily for the girls this isn't too out of the ordinary but...well, you'll have to see for yourselves. Thank you to those who gave input on the tennis match, I'll try to improve on action like that but for now, enjoy the downtime of this chapter._

* * *

"I swear if either of you brats-!" I woke up in a panic and started yelling at whoever put this fuzzy stuff on my face...when I realized I wasn't even home. I was outside lying on my back and starting up at a night sky, but something was off. I felt something soft on my forehead and when I sat upright I realized right away what it was. A small, ruined mass of yellow fluff fell down before me and got caught in the wind, drifting towards a tall woman with a green ponytail lying on her side. "Vert?" I ignored the pain that coursed through my body and turned her on her back. It looks like she got knocked out by the blast too and if that's the case I'm sure the other two aren't doing so hot either.

"Ow ow ow! Watch what you're doing!" Damn, Noire is conscious. I'm not wishing anything bad or anything, but I was hoping she would be out of commission so I wouldn't have to deal with her annoying ass 'we won we won' crap. It looks like she and Neptune managed to stay transformed as well and were both recovering from...whatever we just caused.

Neptune stopped trying to pick her teammate up and began hovering in place. "It looked like you were lacking the power to move on your own but I suppose you're fine if you can put up a fuss like this." She flinched as she bent down to pick up the remains of our racquets, placed them near the net, and then landed near me and extended her hand. "Good game as always, Blanc. I hope you didn't mind the inclusion of our...well..." She blushed a little trying to come up with the right word for us to call Noire and Vert.

"Just say partners already. I bet it was your idea for Vert to show up at my place sick in order to get me worried."

"Not quite, I suggested she do that during a break in her marathon and..." She stopped mid-sentence when she realized she was asking for the impossible and shook her head. "My mistake, but it seems as though things have worked out for you two in the end anyway."

"You think you're hot shit for this don't you?" I paused to see if she'd drop her cool lady act before going on. "Well...thanks." I grabbed her hand and got up to my feet, and then gave it a firm shake before pointing towards Noire. "You gonna take care of that?"

"Of course, but I'm not going to spoil her. Oh, and don't be too hard on the twins, they were just worried about the two of you." She turned her head, folded her arms, and smiled slyly at me while walking towards the locker rooms. "She looks like she can handle herself." She said loudly as she stopped to make sure she was being followed.

Sure enough Noire got on her feet, clearly in pain, and hobbled towards Neptune while looking at me bashfully. "I don't really want Neptune's help or anything, she just owes me because I helped her win this stupid game. W-well, it wasn't totally stupid, I had a little fun beating the both of you. Maybe next time we'll play a proper game or something and-"

I gave her a quick shove, hopefully in one of her more sore spots towards Neptune, who had just vanished into the locker rooms. "Lady Cool is leaving you behind." She gasped and tried to hover her way over there as well, but she couldn't keep it up and stumbled halfway there. The last I saw of her was her waving good-bye to me in the entrance before Neptune snatched her away by the wrist. For someone who's known for being calm and collected at all times she's doing an awful job at holding back when it comes to her special someone. Tch...am I going to end up as sappy as her?

"Good evening Blanc."

"...How long were you awake?"

"Long enough to know you consider me a part-ah!"

I dropped to my knees and lifted her up a little so she wasn't straining herself to talk to me. "You're too banged up to try and get up yourself." She has it the worst out of everyone it seems, her clothes were torn up in several places and even scorched a little in the front. Thankfully my outfits are made from of Lowee's toughest materials, but that makes me wonder just how she managed to break it the way she did... "How about we hit up the sauna? Don't bother answering, I know your ass needs one as badly as I do."

"I think I'll be able to walk in a few moments. Let's just enjoy the wha-wha-what are you doing!?" I guess hoisting her over my shoulder was a little too much, but I just realized something...my lack of initiative is why we're here and barely walking away from a damn tennis match of all things. Well tonight's the night, I'm getting my answers and getting everything off my chest whether she likes it or not. I mustered up all the strength I could and hovered, with my haul in tow all the way to the bathing area, which didn't take long at all surprisingly considering how busted up I am.

Baths are something that we commonly used whenever things went down so I thought mixing it up for once would be a good idea. Unfortunately Vert didn't think so. "You want me to sit in here and sweat with you?"

"That's the general idea of a sauna. You're literally in no position to complain so I suggest getting used to it. It'll be good for you anyway." I shut the door behind us, sat her down, and tossed a nearby towel to her. I gave her some breathing room as well and started getting undressed myself until she gasped for some reason.

"B-Blanc! Is this how you act in the presence of a-"

"How much of a prude can you be? The twins and I don't give a damn because we're family and I'd expect you to be less anal about seeing another woman, considering how touchy feely your oracle is." I don't think I could pull off the same cool attitude as Nept-er, Purple Heart, but I've got to find a way to keep myself calm while dealing with outbursts like this. After wrapping my towel around myself I turned to tell Vert to do the same when it turns out she had changed faster than I did. "I thought you were too banged up to move, and here you are getting changed in the blink of an eye. How'd you get your top off so fast?"

"Knowing wouldn't do you any good since you lack the trait that made wearing your shirt so cumbersome." I sat down about three arms' length as she said that so I wasn't tempted to hurt her. I stared at her slightly increased bust and I could feel my jealousy simmering, even with all this steam and constant heat...until she said something I thought would never leave her mouth. "...That isn't necessarily a bad thing though. Your petite frame has its merits..."

I inched towards her a little without trying to be too obvious. "Now I know you're full of shit. How is my being fl-me being the way I am worth anything? You constantly flaunt your goods around us...hell, you go out of way to shove them in my face. Sometimes you literally do just that! Why?"

This time she winced as she moved herself a little closer to me, but had to readjust her towel thanks to her slightly larger than usual form before it slipped off. "You're cute when you're upset." She continued staring forward and folded her arms. I can't believe what I just heard...I'm cute when I'm angry? "Well, cuter than you usually are anyway."

I scooted towards her again and got within arms length before she moved as well and wrapped her arm around my shoulder and leaned on me. "To tell you the truth...I was more jealous than mad. You, Noire, and even Neptune stack up better than me. Neptune, not so much until she transforms but my point stands. Although..." Just get it out there Blanc, it's just the two of you and I doubt anything will leave this room. "...I appreciated the attention..."

"Oh? I never would've expected hearing that from you of all people."

"It'll be the last time you hear it too dammit!" Ah hell, now I'm starting to feel weird, I think this is the first time I'm starting to blush hard in this form and it's a weird sensation. She held me tight and accidentally bumped her chest into my face with a sigh. I don't think this was on purpose for once.

"Sorry for costing us the game by the way."

"The hell are you apologizing for? I had my share of screw-ups and Neptune decided to use her self-proclaimed 'broken' move of hers. She knows how things get out of hand when she uses that and everything went to shit." I patted her on the leg and tried to reassure her that in the end it didn't matter...although I swear if Noire brings this up again...

"I wanted to prove that I could be strong for you and-"

I threw my hand up to her face to shut her up so I can spell out what I'm trying to get through to her. "I just said you were fine. I messed up, and not warming up was a stupid decision on everyone's part, and it hurt us all in the end. That and your damn breakfast had me feeling sluggish but I tried to hide it. You seemed to be doing fine until that blast so quit selling yourself short."

"Oh, then I did a better job of hiding it than I thought. After taking that serve from Neptune I felt like wrists were going to fall off. It didn't seem like that strong of a hit and I wanted to gracefully return the ball and...I was a fool to underestimate my opponent."

"Ha!" I gave her rack a quick, gentle backhand that made her yelp a little and leaned on her as well. "See? You were able to hold your own going up against her and Noire without a warm-up. Granted none of us did, but the playing ground was even." There's still one thing that's bugging me, and this might be dirty but I'm going to guarantee she has no escape. "Hey Vert..." I said as gently as possible. "...mind lying down for me?"

She looked at me like I was crazy and slowly started to lie down. I'm surprised she did so without even protesting, but that makes what I'm about to do so much easier. "Are you sure you're alright? Your voice sounded a little strange just now."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I think I may have taken her by surprise, she jumped a little and winced as I mounted her back but didn't say anything else...she's totally fine with this. Ok Blanc, you can do this, keep calm and just ease into it. "I heard from a reliable source, a young Planeptune candidate, that you enjoy massages. I was wondering if I was able to give you one, I might've learned a thing or two from the treatment I got from the twins and Mina. You know, to say thanks for playing with me." That was half a lie but hopefully she doesn't catch onto it.

After a few seconds of thinking about it she nodded. "I suppose I could let you-" My hands were already on her back, poking and prodding away at what I thought were troublesome spots. I have no idea what I'm doing but I might as well keep at it and try my best. "-oh my, someone's a little anxious. How long have you been waiting to get your hands on me?"

Anxious? Now's my chance! "Well of course I am...I need to be to keep up with your prince after all." If there was ever a time I needed a camera or a recording device, now would be it. I swear if I wasn't on top of Vert she would've jumped out of her skin and gotten the hell out of here at break-neck speed. Her gasp...it wasn't so much a gasp as it was a ghastly wail of sorts. The girls would've been terrified if they heard this for sure. "So you DO remember last night!"

"Wh-what? N-no I don't! I have no idea what you're talking about, unhand me this insta-aaah!~" I applied pressure a little under her right shoulder blade and she fidgeted in mid-sentence and went limp for a seconds.

"I can't go on knowing who the hell this prince jerk is anymore. The twins and I want you to be part of our family but I'm not going any farther until I find out who he is." I readjusted myself a little lower on her body and started rhythmically tapping along her spine. "Out with it Thunder Tits!"

"N-no Blanc! Shtop! Oh my!~" Did she really just slurp? Is she...drooling? This is even better than I thought, I might have to say to hell with this interrogation and just tire her out! "I really d-don't kn-hngaah~..."

Another successful attack, this time as I started kneading at the base of her neck and I could feel a tingling sensation run through her. "You watch kinky manly videos, you know saying no means yes! Now tell me who your prince is!" My hands glided down her sides and I got a firm hold on her waist. Vert's body jolted again and...I think I'm started to enjoy this as much as she is, making her cry out like this is making my heart race. I-I don't think I'll stop even after she tells me what I want to hear!

"I...can't tell you!" She clenched her fists and started kicking gently as I began my assault on her waist, slowly making my way towards the dimples right above her ass. "Right there! I-I mean n-"

"Too late!" My enjoyment got the better of me and I tried squeezing the answer out of her. "Who's your prince!?"

"...You..." I put hands right on the center of her back, in the one spot she couldn't easily reach and started rubbing up and down with increased speed and force. "You..."

"I what?" I can't stop myself now. I'm giving it all I've got and pouring all my strength into massaging her! I've even gone as far as using her for support and putting the weight of my entire body into every motion of my hands. I found myself panting with her, my heart accelerating, as I rocked back and forth into her until...until...!

"You're my prince!" Vert cried out at the top of her lungs as her body rocked under me before she went limp again. As she lie under me, shivering despite the incredibly humid temperature and breathing heavily, I stopped my attacks and stared down at her...wondering if she really said that. "...ah~...you're my..."

"I'm your..." I sat on her, dumbfounded as her words sank in. Does she not see me as a woman? Can women even be seen as princely or handsome? This has to be some kind of joke...

"There...ha...I finally said it." Her panting had finally calmed down and she was able to speak with a very relaxed tone. "Out of all the times I've had this kind of dream, last night's was the most realistic. The person I had dreamt about happily made me comfortable through tender love and care without me even thinking or influencing them like I usually have to. After soup I had fallen into a deeper sleep and was woken up by something shifting in my bed." She did her best to turn to her side, with me still on top of her, and went on with a slight blush and a smile on her face. "The person I've been dreaming about...was you. I was jealous of you and your sisters at first but that eventually turned into admiration, and then something more and I've been hoping that someday you would whisk me away from my lonely, repetitive lifestyle. When I fainted before saying what I had come to Lowee for, I had feared for the worst and that I would've angered you...and that you'd have Chika come and ruin any chance I had of speaking my mind."

"Vert..."

"I wanted to tell you how I felt right off the bat but old habits die hard and I had no idea how you'd react. My condition was a little worse than average, I'll admit, but that was because I was planning on dropping certain MMOs, so I did everything within my power to enjoy them to the fullest for the last time." She had fully shifted herself and sat up to face me. "I wanted to spend more time with you and eventually earn my place in your family, but you went ahead stayed by my side in Leanbox and brought me along for this surprise 2v2."

My heart started racing faster than ever and I started getting dizzy thinking about how last night actually...meant something. She remembered what happened last night better than I had hoped. "Wh-what was the deal with this morning though?" I shoved her shoulder playfully and with a hint of frustration as I brought that up. "Why the hell did you lie about it? I felt like a dumbass for...for everything I had done for you! At first I was hoping you'd be too sick to remember, then I started thinking that you didn't want to remember..."

She touched my chin gently and made me look her in the eyes. "How do you think Chika would've reacted had I greeted you with 'thank you for last night'?"

I took a moment to really think how her oracle would respond and it hit me like a ton of bricks. "Ooh..." Chika would lose her mind if she lost Vert, especially to me.

"Precisely." She brought me closer for a hug and I returned the favor as her towel began loosening up. After a short moment of silence she sighed and held me tighter.

"You know she's going to have to deal with you being us. With...me. Right?" I don't know how far I'm willing to go or exactly what I'd call our relationship, but I know that twins will make her feel like family and that they'll love and respect her almost as much as I do. I'm just worried about how her oracle will take it, she wasn't even fond of my helping Vert...

"That's what I'm afraid of..."


	7. Chapter 3, Part 1

"We're gonna see Vert! We're gonna see Vert!"

"Yeah, we're gonna to have tons of fun..."

"How many times do I have to tell you two to calm down?" I'm surprised I haven't flown off the handle yet, considering Ram and Rom have been extra obnoxious lately. Well, I guess they have a good reason to be happy since I kind of told them that Vert and I talked about...us. I wasn't really clear about what happened for obvious reasons but I don't think they need to know the details just yet. Just knowing we'll all be seeing more of each other is enough to make them happy, but I can't take it too easy or else they'll run amok more than usual. "Ram! Rom! Get over here!" It's only been a few days since that night and I've...we've decided that we should see how Vert would fare with my twin terrors for more than just a visit.

"Aww, but this is the first time we've had a chance to really walk around Leanbox like this." Ram protested while trying to give me puppy-dog eyes. It would be nice if they could come here on their own in case Vert or I needed errands done, so maybe I should let them run around a little. This would be a good chance for them to get a feel for roaming Leanbox by themselves and to prove they can be responsible...although there's this small, nagging feeling in the back of my mind when I think of them by themselves in a place like this.

"Hey Blanc...something on your mind?" Rom pulled on my sleeve gently, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Can we maybe visit some shops before we see Vert? I want to find a gift for her..."

"Yeah right, you just want to look for snacks!"

"Maaaybe..."

I couldn't help but smile as they went back and forth with reasons for going off on their own until someone suspicious caught my eye. I could've sworn I saw a blonde, twin tailed woman glance at me and speed up for a moment. "That's a good idea." I said calmly, bringing Ram and Rom's playful arguing to a stop as they looked up at me in disbelief. "Go ahead and get some snacks you think we all would enjoy. Take some extra credits while you're at it." I gave Rom a decent sum of money and waved to them as they headed towards to market. I hope they use good judgement and don't do anything stupid while they're browsing these stores, provided they were serious and don't go playing around. The blonde woman that had passed me was going in the direction of the basilicom, so maybe if I speed up myself I can catch up with her. For some reason she seemed familiar...in a way that bugged the hell out of me and I could've sworn she smelled a little like candy. I don't know why but I feel like I need to find out who she is, and if she's who I'm thinking why she's here. Maybe a quick run through some shortcuts will get me caught up. Even if this person is someone completely this is more practice for me in case I get the short straw with the twins again. A short sprint through this small shopping strip...and a dash through this one and jumped out, hopefully surprising my target. "Noire!"

"G-gah! Bla-I mean, who are you calling Noire you insane woman?!" She nearly jumped out of her dress when I landed in front of her and panicked some other people that were passing by. She immediately calmed down and tried to play off her scare as if it was nothing, typical of someone who feels the need to constantly go on and on about perfection. I looked at her like she was stupid until she sighed and scratched her head forehead. "Wh-what gave me away?"

Is she serious? Blonde hair and a green version of her crazy dress isn't enough to fool anyone. Well, it might fool Ram...and Neptune, but this seemed like such a rushed attempt at a disguise that it's almost offensive. I think all the anime she's voice acted for has started to muddle her brain. "A few things, but that's not important. Why are you trying to hi-" I was too busy looking at her Leanbox inspired attire to see her giving me bashful looks. "What?"

"N-nothing! I was just thinking of how to word this question without offending a...young woman such as yourself." A compliment? From Noire? This is so out of character for her it's almost scary. I don't like where this is going already so I think I'm going to take my leave. "Please, before you think I'm being weirdo just hear me out. Now that you're here I might as well ask now while I can."

I must've involuntarily given her a strange look or something for her to say that. "I guess I could, but I don't see why Lastation's goddess needs help from someone like me." I said mockingly, trying to goad her into her usual self.

"How did you 'get' Vert?" Her face started to go red as she awaited my answer but...I don't understand the question. I might have made it obvious that I didn't mind her being my special someone and another woman I want my sisters looking up to, but I have no idea what she means by 'get'. "You know..." She barely closed her eyes, as if to recall something from that arrogant head of hers, and began making weird motions with her hands. No...she couldn't mean that!

"I..." My eyes widened in horror and I took a step backwards. How am I supposed to answer something like that? What the hell is Noire of all people doing knowing about that? We were in that sauna all by ourselves with the door shut! "I don't know what you're talking about." I'm not going to deny what I did with her but I sure as hell don't want to talk about my private matters out in the open.

"W-well, after Neptune dragged me away we decided to get a few soft drinks and...relax for a little while. After that I got los-er, I explored your facilities for a little while on the way back to where I last saw you to ask if Uni and I could practice here. I saw a door that was barely open ajar," I thought I closed that damn door! "and I was ready to close it until I heard Vert cry out over the sound of something loud, like furniture moving."

I-I can't believe she of all people stumbled on that massage and heard so much! I'm torn between running as fast as I can to Vert's and forgetting this conversation ever happened or beating that memory out of her. If only I could move or do something at least instead of standing here like a dumbass...

"Are you ok Blanc? You've been standing still for about two minutes and I was starting to get worried." I'm suddenly greeted by her with her waving her hand in my face before sighing in relief. "It's alright if you don't want to talk about it, it's something I shouldn't have heard and it's really none of my business..."

"Dumbass."

"E-excuse me?"

I can't let a little embarrassment get the better of me, I'm better than that. "Follow me." I quickly walked ahead and tried to find a decent place to have a conversation as personal as this, but I had no luck in finding a little shop that wasn't crowded. We must've picked a terrible time to come here, it seems as if a bunch of people are getting off work, getting dinner or returning to their homes. I had to settle for a modest looking cafe, with shades, that was on the corner of our current block so I got us some seats outside, along with a few drinks. "Now ask me again." I'm not going to get caught off guard this time, my mind and body are ready.

"I'll try to make it not so personal. How did you and Vert...or rather, how could I..." She started poking at the little jewels on her gloves and had a hell of a time getting her words out. Her fragmented sentences went from Vert and I to her and...of course!

"This is about Neptune, isn't it?"

She clasped her hands together and let her head hang low while...sniffling? "She hasn't been all that...attentive to me lately and I've been thinking about ways to rekindle that but she's been ignoring my invitations more and more. It's either us having fun sparring, playing a game or me having to patch her up which is ok, barring that last one."

"Patch her up? What the hell are you doing to the poor girl?" It looks like her need to prove she's better than Neptune is finally biting her in the ass. I want to say she deserves it but not when it comes to something like this, that's cruel and unusual...but what am I supposed to say? Neptune's a little weird, but she's a nice girl and she deserves better...or maybe she's into that sort of thing?

"What?! No! No no no, it's nothing like that!" She panicked and brought the attention of some customers but that lasted all of a second before they went about their business again. "I get...twitchy..."

"That's what happens when you try to work 24/7."

"Would it hurt you for once to not be yourself?!" She snapped at me with tears running trickling down her cheeks just as the waitress delivered us our drinks. The stranger left without a word or even waiting for a tip, leaving Noire feeling worse than she already is. "Sorry...I just don't...I can't disappoint Neptune..."

"No, I should be the one apologizing here." I should've known how serious she was since her relationship with Neptune is on the line. Can't say I care too much about what exactly happens between them but...no one should have to go through this. I took a sip of my tea and stared at her until she calmed down and did the same. "How did your first accident happen?"

"Well...the first time we decided we'd be together all she did was attempt something and in the end I kind of kneed her in the face." I nearly choked on my tea at not only the mental image but her potentially freaking blinding her partner! I might have to actually lighten up on the tough talk, I'm sure she had to deal with a lot of crap from Gear and Histoire after doing that. "After she recovered I nearly-"

"No please, I've heard enough. You don't have to recall the other incidents." There's no need to remember every time incident or else I'm going to start worrying, and I already have plenty on my plate. Neptune must be going through hell trying to put up with this oddball...but what I don't get is why of all times does she flip out like this. I would've expected her to melt and be completely calm and helpless or something. "Why the hell aren't you like this when you fight Neptune?"

"It's easy to keep my focus when it comes to winning. I don't completely ignore my emotions but I'm in total control when victory is on the line...most of the time." She answered with confidence.

This is a long shot, but I think I have an idea on how to fix Noire's little problem. "Why not add a little competition to your more...intimate things? You could...I dunno..." I probably should've thought that suggestion through, I don't even know how to properly word it.

"What? Am I supposed to fight her while trying to..." Her voice trailed off as she folded her arms and looked off in the distance. "I think you're onto something. What you're saying I should do is treat my relationship like our sparring and try to tire her out first? Rather, I should find a way to defend myself while still tempting her continue trying to..." She trailed off, muttering to herself while I took a sip of tea.

"That's...yeah." That isn't exactly how I'd say it but as long as stops her moping that's fine with me. "Since you can't really take her attacks, you should bide your time and wait for her to make a move, then counter her with one of your own. Although you're better off going all out and giving her the run for her money, if my opinion matters to you." I motioned for her to lean forward and whispered a vital tidbit of information to her. "Her weak points are her armpits and stomach. Thank Ram and Rom."

That pro-tip must've been what Noire needed to hear, I caught a gleam in her eye as she smiled and finished her tea. "Heh, so that idiot does have a weak point after all. I suppose you bumping into me was worth my time after all, you've given me some surprisingly good help."

I finished my tea as well and got up to stretch my limbs before going about my business. "Whatever gets your ass back in shape." I can't stand it when my girls get sad or hurt, I'm not going to put up with a grown woman lamenting her inability to do 'everything', especially when we're supposed to be rivals or whatever she calls us now. Regardless, I wouldn't be a good friend if I left her hanging like this.

"Seriously though, thanks for taking time to talk to me. I don't know how I would've been able to face Neptune later tonight if it hadn't been for you."

"If you're supposed to be with her tonight why the hell are you in Leanbox?"

She gasped and pulled out a little accessory that resembled Planeptune technology. "Oh no, I hope Vert has our ite-I mean my item! I hope MY item is ready." She immediately started running without another word, leaving me to stand here like a fool...until I realized that I needed to head to Vert's myself.

"Wait a minute." It's no use. Noire was sprinting as if her life depended on it and thanks to her little slip up I have to haul ass as well. 'Our' item...either she or Vert are hiding something and I'm going to get to the bottom of this. "I said wait a minute dammit!" I took off after her, wondering just what was in store for me and how Ram and Rom were doing...I'm sure they're fine, I have faith that they're watching out for each other and will be on the way to Vert's as well.


	8. Chapter 3, Part 2

_After accidentally giving away vital information, Noire retreats at full speed in order to avoid ruining anything else. After giving out advice, surprisingly, and being ditched Blanc is in hot pursuit in order to find out just what her rival meant. Meanwhile, the twins are still off on their own..._

* * *

How the hell did I lose Noire already? I couldn't have been more than maybe a block or two away from her and she's already widened the gap between us. It's almost dusk and I haven't heard from Ram or Rom either, but I'm sure they're doing ok and are on the way to Vert's. They're my girls after all, so if anything I should feel sorry for whoever gets in their way. I turned the corner and the basilicom finally came into view, and from here I could see Noire hurriedly motioning toward Vert before she received a small, rectangular purple box. She quickly bowed at her and came charging at me full speed. "It was really great talking with you good luck tonight enjoy your present!" Charging past me I should say, she was gone within seconds before I could even say anything, leaving me to continue onward to the basilicom with several questions that needed answers and...what is...

"Is something troubling you?" I approached the basilicom doors and was greeted by Vert, who was wearing something I've never seen before. This dress had a simple, yet elegant design that exposed her legs for what seemed like miles. Her ankles were wrapped with a jet black material that criss-crossed into sharp, heeled shoes that were each adorned with a green X. Her entire body was...accentuated much better in this outfit; her hips were hugged tightly by the dress and had a smooth looking green cloth that flowed from her waist, and her chest was decorated with a beautiful light green strap of cloth that connected to her X neck piece. "Blanc?" All around her new outfit had less going on than the old one but the balance of green and black, along with her accessories, and the way she stood there had me...stunned. At least, I was speechless until she finally came in for a big hug. "Aww, it seems I've broken my little Blanc with my gorgeous new look. Don't worry, I'll groom our little sisters into fine young ladies. I'm sure they'll love going through my collection of-"

"Like hell you will!" I was enjoying our embrace until she mentioned her collection and started smothering me with her rack, and as much as I'd like to shot her how much I actually like this, now isn't the time. Although since I'm being squeezed by her I get try something I've had on my mind for a while. I turned to the side as best as I could to take a deep breath and pressed my face into her cleavage, and blew the hardest raspberry I could into her.

"Aaah!~" She tried to endure it but jumped back after a few seconds, clutching onto her boobs and trying to hold back laughter. "B-Blanc please! Why do you of all people know how to motorboat?"

What the hell is she talking about boats for? "Motorboating?" All I did was make funny noises on her boobs with my mouth...unless... "Wait a minute, isn't that-"

"N-nothing! It's nothing!" She denied what I was trying to get at before I even finished, all while trying to hide her blushing. Vert turned to wipe away the little mess I made and walked further into the basilicom, with me closing the door and following her.

"So what's this I hear about a present for me?" Knowing my luck Chika will come barging in to ruin what precious little time I have to find out answers, so I might as well get right to it. I'd rather it be Ram and Rom interrupting us, and I know I shouldn't be too worried but...

Vert stopped to have a seat on the sofa in the living room and patted the cushion next to her with a slightly annoyed look on her face. "Tch, I knew Noire wouldn't be able to keep a secret. Leave to her to ruin my surprise." When I sat down next to her she pulled me to rub my shoulder and sighed. "I doubt it will have much of an impact now, but I have some clothes picked out for you as well in my room."

If they're as fancy as her new dress I don't think I'll be able to wear it much, there's a reason why Lowee has a more...down to Gamindustri feel to it. I guess I could go try them on at least, it can't possibly be as obnoxious as Noire's dress full of bells and whistles. ...Can it? "Fine, give me a second and I'll go play dress up." What if it's worse than a gaudy dress? I swear if it's a boy's outfit I...no, she's being sincere, there's no need to think of the stupid possibilities right now. Thankfully Vert's room wasn't too far away and in a matter of seconds I was staring at a rectangular box wrapped with a green bow and a little card attached to it. "Let's see...'To my Player One, may this mark the beginning of grand adventure for us and our siblings. Love, your Player Two~'"

"Did you find it?" Vert yelled expectantly from the living room.

"Y-yeah, hold your damn tits!" I can't believe I'm tearing up over a damn card. I never expected something like this to hit me as hard as it did. Opening the box revealed a neatly folded red dress that was decorated with some small gold pieces, a black and white bead bracelet, and a large, poofy red and white hat similar to the one I'm already wearing. I wasted no time in taking off my jacket and white dress to try it on when I noticed there was a little star that had a strap attached to it to keep it held up...wait, is this a shrine maiden outfit? Well, shrine person to be more accurate since men and women can take care of those places, but that's besides the point. This is whole thing is pretty comfy and the material is so unlike anything I've felt before I'd say it's...out of this world.

"Are you ready yet?"

I wiped the tears from my eyes and put on my new hat, bracelet, and thigh highs that were hidden under the dress before returning to the living room. "You're as impatient as Ram. Haven't your online games taught you anything?" It feels as if I'm walking on air with these things on, and this bracelet isn't a complete pain in the ass. It doesn't clack against itself as I walk and it has a nice weight to it while not being a burden. "I have to admit you know how to pick out clothes. I feel right at home in this."

Vert sprang up and happily approached me and began touching everywhere; my sleeves, hips, hat, wherever she could as if I was one of her little dolls. "Oooh look at you! You aren't even bothered by the little extra touches on the sleeves. I was right to trust that spacy girl from earlier." She said while giggling to herself.

"The what?" I looked down at my sleeves and sure enough there were two rectangular, rosy pieces of paper dangling from them that I didn't even notice. "Hm. They do seem kind of nice but what does a spacy girl have to do with this?" She kept going about her business until I grabbed her by the hands. "Vert? Did she do anything funny I should know about?" I knew these clothes were too good to not have something shady about them.

"What? No no, you've got it all wrong. A young girl bumped into me earlier today and had mistaken me for someone she knew and we got to talking. She noticed that I was in a spectacular mood so we ended up talking and we came up with an idea to commemorate us." She patted my head and then brought me back to the couch for a seat. "She was pretty quick with making our new clothes and she went on and on about imagining your tears of joy. I paid her for her troubles of course, but..." Her voice trailed off as she turned away and as I began thinking to myself.

Tears of joy...that girl is full of crap. Tch...thinking she knows me...why am I letting some airhead girl I never even met get under my skin? Vert approved of these and got them with me in mind, ignore her and get on with it. "What are you mumbling about now?"

"Where are Ram and Rom?" She turned back to face me with an expression I've only seen when she talks about raids and loot, whatever those meant. "You did bring them along with you, right?"

We stared at each other, with my brow furrowing for every second that passed by until I snapped. "Dammit!" I glanced out one of the windows and saw that night was approaching and stood up in a huff. I knew I should've dragged them around with me. "I'm gonna kick their asses all the way to Lowee!"

"Blanc no! They're probably lost, Leanbox can get pretty scary at night!" I heard her shuffling off the couch in a rush to stop my rampage, but not even she could stop me from teaching the girls a lesson. I tried my best to be patient with them, and trusted them to be on their best behavior and make this a nice night out...then they do this to me. There better be something stopping them or else.

I turned back to vent a little as I opened the front door. "You haven't seen scary until-"

"Lady Blanc?" I was greeted by an unusually cool voice and turned to see Cave standing before me, who was just short of knocking on the door. "This shouldn't be a surprise, considering who I have in custody." As if on cue Ram and Rom appeared from behind her with their hands held behind them.

I think I'm going to have a migraine. It's one thing to act like a pair of jackasses in Lowee, but to do it in another nation and to get pulled in by Cave is just... "What did they do and how much do I have to pay for damages?" I folded my arms and glared down at my younger sisters, but they held their heads low and avoided eye contact with me.

"I can assure you that they haven't done damage to anything. They were merely out in the Gold Marketplace after hours without an adult. Children shouldn't be exposed to such aggressive, colorful language and-" She caught herself and bowed slightly. "Excuse me. I'll let them off with a warning but please tell them to respect the curfew and rules we have in place to protect them. I'll take my leave now." With that she quickly and quietly walked off, probably to find more delinquents getting themselves into trouble.

Ram and Rom rushed passed me, keeping their hands and face hidden while I slammed the door shut behind me. "They didn't know any better Blanc!"

I held my hand up to stop Vert in her tracks. "What do the two of you have to say for yourselves?"

"Surprise!" They both shouted in unison as they jumped towards me for a big hug. Ram was the first one to speak up after their little hop. "You should see the look on your face, we got you good!"

"Heehee, we were actually behaving and were on our way back but found Cave. Soooo we decided to play a prank on you and Vert and...are you ok? Your eyebrow is twitchy..."

"You mean to tell me..." I said through gritted teeth and making a fist. "...that I was going to storm out of here for no good reason? That I was about the beat the shit out of anyone who looked funny to find out where you two are? You..." They both backed away from me and immediately ran towards Vert. "What if something happened to you!? No offense Vert, but who knows what kind of creeps are wandering around at this hour. I, along with the people of Lowee, tolerate your antics because we love you and it's your home. Leanbox is another story, you're just a pair of little girls to these people..." I took several steps toward them until Vert extended her arms to shield them from me. "Step aside Thunder Tits."

"No." She stepped forward instead and gently grabbed my shoulder, and held on tight despite my trying to shake her off. "You're in no mood to reprimand them properly. Take a seat and let me deal with them."

"Who are you to tell me..." Family. Her calm and gentle attitude reminded me right away that I told her we wanted to be family. "Fine. Go be the nice big sister, see if I give a damn." I stomped passed the three of them and took a seat on the couch. Rom looked like she was about to cry while Ram just gave me a pouty look before being herded away. As I stared at them walking away Vert smiled and mouthed 'thank you' before leaving my view. Thank my ass, I had high hopes that they would come home on their own with maybe a souvenir or something to show off. Maybe it's too soon to try to have them do things on their own in other nations but...no, I can't put all the blame on them. I'm at fault as well for not preparing them more for the outside world but...dammit. Those two were so excited to see Vert that I was sure that they'd waste no time in getting here. It looks like I need to get more...involved with...my sisters...

* * *

"B-Blanc?"

This is the first thing I've heard in a while, I must've fallen asleep on the couch or something. Looks like I've ended up lying down, rolling around in my sleep and facing the back of the couch. Tch...I want to stay asleep to, I don't think I've cooled off yet and I don't want to snap at the girls again. They didn't really deserve me getting that angry with them, I have to remember that they're still kids...but they need to learn there's a time and place for pranks. I'll just lie here and wait for Rom to go back to bed.

"Sorry if I woke you up. Vert told us why you were getting so mad and why we shouldn't prank like that." I could feel her getting on one of the cushions as gently used my shoulder for support as she kissed me on the cheek. "Ram is really sorry too and we promise never do stuff like this again. Good night, and we love you." She quickly scurried off, forgetting that there was a chance at waking me up. I think I heard Rom whispering to her sister before they ran off to the spare bedroom as well.

"I need some air." Who am even talking to? Ram and Rom have gone to sleep in the guest room and who knows what game Vert is toiling away at now. I got up, leaving my hair a mess and my new hat behind, and wandered around the basilicom until I ended up at the back door and went outside to take a seat on the veranda. "Why can't I get over this? What's done is done but something is still gnawing at me..." The night sky was strangely cloudy yet relaxing at the same time and I could see a bright crescent moon trying to peek through the dark veil as they slowly drifted across the starry canvas.

"You're just concerned about my take on this is all." I gasped and turned to the entrance to see Vert coming towards me with a hand behind her back. "You simply wanted them on their best behavior for me but girls will be girls. Do you know what all they did today?" I shook my head as she brought up a seat across the table from me, keeping her hand hidden. "All they did was browse stores, play a few games, and spent the rest of the day with Cave. They said they felt right at home and everyone was pretty friendly towards them, which is probably why they came up with an idea to mess with you."

"So...she thought it was good idea to lie to me as well?"

"Well..." She smirked as she slipped her hidden hand under the table. "she doesn't often interact with children and had no idea what she was getting herself into. I'll be sure to speak with her tomorrow because I'm sure they'll eventually involve her again."

"You mean...?" That nagging feeling is slowly fading away already.

"That them being themselves and treating Leanbox like a second home is fine? Of course." As she said that there was a large gap in the clouds and the moon shined down upon us. Vert finally revealed the object in her hand to be...a small white box wrapped in blue ribbon. "Here, maybe this will help ease your mind."

I took the box and casually opened it up to see a moderately sized, white sphere wrapped in fancy paper that fit in the palm of my hand. "What is this?" I rubbed my finger across the surface to get a feel for it and there were absolutely no flaws in its shape, not to mention that it was slightly chilled. I want to say it's food but...what kind?

"You'll find out when you give it a taste, although you may want to relieve some stress by giving it a good smack."

I shrugged and didn't give her suggestion a second thought and gave it a few light knocks with my knuckle to no avail. "Hmm..." This time I struck it with a little more force and was preparing another, stronger attack before a clean line began to form along the center...then another at a different angle...and this kept up until it was split in eight even pieces like a piece of fruit. A sweet smell wafted from the cracked orb and it smelled like... "White chocolate?" There was a hint of something else but I couldn't quite tell what it was.

"That's the present that I originally had in mind for you. Noire and I commissioned Gust to make something extra special for you and Neptune." Vert smiled and fixed her hair as a cool breeze blew passed us. "Don't worry, we helped and tailored them perfectly to your tastes...we hope."

The thought of pudding filled chocolate got me smirking, because if Neptune treats it like any other snack she won't even notice it. Then again, she could be pretending to be a fool with the way she's been acting lately...oh well, that's Noire's concern now. I took a piece of my hand-crafted gift and bit into half of it for a sample...and was amazed at how there was a subtle citrus flavor combined with the sweet chocolate. "Is this...a chocolate orange?"

She reached towards me and helped herself with a piece. "Hmhm..." She chuckled to herself as she took a bite herself. "I'm glad it turned out well.~"

I was about to ask if she even tested this before wrapping it up considering who was involved but...she seems pretty happy that I'm enjoying this so I guess that's all that matters in the end. I don't know why but for some reason I was expecting something funny to happen to me. "I'm going to apologize to Ram and Rom tomorrow." I said as I popped the other half of the sample in my mouth and finished it off with a sigh of relief. "Maybe I should take a page from your book and see how you handle things tomorrow. Do you mind if I share a piece of this with them?" I wrapped my treat back up and stretched as I got out of my seat. While that accidental nap did me some good, I can already feel my eyelids getting heavy again.

"By all means, share the love." She finished her piece and followed me inside as I went to store my snack in her fridge. "You know, there was one other thing I wanted to say but I think it can wait until after a good nights sleep." Vert stopped at the entrance of the kitchen and extended her hand as I finished my business in the fridge and went back towards her. "Come now, I think I've got some pajamas that you can hop in."

I extended my hand for a moment and she snatched it, leaving me to wonder what she had in mind until it clicked in my head. "Wh-whoa wait, the only reason I jumped in bed with you last time was because you were sick." Her taking initiative caught me off guard and I was being dragged to Vert's room with a vague idea of what she had planned.

"Don't be silly, Ram and Rom are sleeping just fine in the same bed. We should do the same..." I could feel my face and body heating up as I was pulled into her room before she closed the door...


	9. Chapter 4, Part 1

_It's the twins turn to get in on the action; will they push Vert to her limits and be too much for her or will she be able to endure the rambunctious Ram and Rom? Or will they even get a chance thanks to what happened last time? Either way we're nearing the end of this particular pairs story...for now. Hope you enjoy the slightly longer chapter with the beginnings of sisterly bonding._

* * *

I opened my eyes sleepily to yet another bright morning but something was off. I could've sworn Vert was hugging me throughout the night but my back feels kind of cold now. "Don't tell me you-" I rolled over to see the other side of the bed a mess and my partner missing. Hm...partner. I couldn't help but smile at that as I sat up to yawn and stretch, wondering where she went until I heard the pitter-patter of small feet. Oh no, I smell breakfast! I don't think I can handle another monstrous helping of Leanbox cuisine by myself. I just need to throw these sheets back and get the hell out of here before I'm forced to stuff myself again...although it was pretty tasty.

"Good morning Blaaaaaanc!" Ram and Rom came bursting into the room, dressed in identical green night wear, holding trays full of a variety of pancakes, syrups, and plates. "We hope you're hungry." Crap. Rom was the first to speak up as they both pulled up a chair and arranged the food around me. "Um...we're sorry for-"

"You don't need to apologize again." I guess Rom wanted to make sure that I heard her but I don't think Ram is satisfied with her sister speaking for her. "I heard you last night, y-"

"We're totally sorry! It's just that Leanbox is so cool and we wanted to play with Cave and we kinda...yeah sorry..."

"It's fine, don't worry about it." I smiled as I looked towards the entrance, expecting one more person to come waltzing in but there was no sign of her yet. "Have either of you seen Vert?"

They both smirked and motioned for me to stay silent as Ram went back into the hallway, only to jump back in surprise as Vert came in with a tray holding a pitcher of juice and some small glasses. Her face... "Good morning, Blanc. I trust you sleep well?"

"Kh...kh..." I couldn't take my eyes off the masterpiece the girls' had made out of Vert's face; thick black circles around her eyes like glasses and thin whiskers on her cheeks. She's completely unaware of what's happened to her! K-keep it together, I'm as curious as the girls about how long Vert can go until she finds out now. "Y-yeah, I'd like to say I slept well, although waking up alone sucks. What's with the breakfast in bed anyway?" The girls set up the food they had over my legs as Vert made her way to the other side of the bed before getting comfy and gently placing the drink tray over me as well. I guess I have no choice but sit here unless I want to knock over all this food.

"Rom and I had trouble sleeping so we brainstormed all night about how to make up for yesterday. We woke Vert up because we don't really know our way around the kitchen and didn't want to break anything..." Ram turned to side to scratch her cheek and mumbled something under her breath, but I'll let that slide since they're trying to make up for yesterday.

"We couldn't reach a lot of the ingredients either..." Rom chimed in as she and her sister grabbed a plate and a few pancakes.

"Oh you two." She said in sing-song voice while she helped herself to some food as well. "It's only natural to want to brighten your elder sisters' morning. In return I hope the both of you are ready for some major bonding." Everyone started eating shortly after and I'd be a fool to pass on my own sisters' cooking so...I'll grab a stack myself and see just how well Vert can handle them. She'll crack by noon, I'm sure of it.

* * *

I can't believe they all kicked me out the kitchen so I can 'relax' a little. I made my fair share of the pancake mess and I just wanted to help out. Although...I'm pretty sure me raising my voice when Vert swiped the last half of my pancake off my plate and Ram taking the last chocolate-chip pancake from me made them worry about another outburst. It's not like I was going to let loose my fury if someone tried anything funny with the juice...at least I don't think I would've. Oh well, Vert insisted I give a book of her's a read and to take a breather in her biggest game room. Thankfully it's void of too many manly things, not that those are an issue but a LOT moderation would be nice, and lined with fancy bookshelves that have games organized by genre. There are even games that look like they've been around for a while...

"Alright ladies, who's ready to give me a run for my money?" Vert, followed by Ram and Rom, came into the room looking very excited to get along with the day while waving their hands dry of dishwater. It's nearly noon so I suppose it's about time Vert gets overwhelmed by the boundless energy the twins have...well, it's Ram mostly but Rom can hold her own as well. "I challenge you to a Leanbox favorite, Hoop: Transposed Strife! I bet I can take on the both of you!" She boasted as she skipped to the entertainment center and began setting her console up.

Up until now I was too busy admiring how well she organized her collection to get a good look at the book she handed me... until she started bragging. I smirked because she has no idea how rough she's about to have it. "You've got guts, but the second they figure out how to play you're done for."

"Oh? I see you haven't read my guide yet, so how about you join if you believe they're too much for me to handle." Before I could say anything she tossed me a wireless controller, turned on the console, and began setting up the multiplayer while the girls got their own controllers set up. I was the farthest away since I was resting on the couch but the flat screen TV was large enough for me to all the little stats and details of the guns I had to choose from. Vert, along with the twins, made themselves comfy on the floor and divided themselves into teams. "I know you have a few games of this genre under your belt so I hope you have what it takes to deal with our little 'pros'."

I didn't have a chance to say anything before she selected the Team option and aligned her color with mine, which happened to be white while Ram took charge and convinced her sister to pick blue for their team color. I sat back and let the three of them argue amongst themselves about which stage to pick until Rom chose one randomly and giggled, earning a silent glare from everyone else. "Oopsie." She smirked as the game loaded up and dropped us into a rust-colored canyon, with patches of dead grass spread about the landscape and a pair of buildings on opposite sides; more than likely our bases.

I could already see someone approaching over one of the few hills that dotted the area, so Vert's character signaled for me to charge forward along with her to begin our attack. Judging by how Ram is twitching I have to assume it's her, which means she needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. I carefully lined my pistol sights onto her head and pulled the trigger, and in an instant her character went limp and rolled down the hill like a ragdoll. "You cheater, that was one shot!" She turned to accuse me of doing the impossible, considering I rarely play shooters and if I do they aren't filled with conventional weapons; I prefer the more technologically advanced weaponry in the Space Bounty: Zenith series.

"How was I supposed to know this peashooter was overpowered?" I was ready to turn my attention to Vert and call her out for letting this unbalanced gun into the full game before a loud bang emitted from the tv, and a wispy, white trail of smoke just barely missed my character. We both looked at Rom as she remained completely focused on the game, nearly motionless as the smoke dissipated.

"...these controllers are too big..." She said to herself as she took another shot at me, missing entirely before letting her head hang low. I took a look at the differences in our controllers and hadn't noticed but...they were stuck using what looked like old models that were huge in comparison to mine, like over-sized bricks or something. Their thumbs could barely reach the analog sticks and buttons comfortably and it looked like they were getting ready to quit before Vert panicked and dove back into the entertainment center.

"D-don't worry, I can fix this!" Her voice was filled with desperation as she pulled out smaller, more compact controllers similar to mine as she raced against Ram's respawn timer beeps. She managed to sync their controllers to the console and put the large ones aside just in time for Ram to take control again. "See? All better now, right?" She asked nervously as she backed up to her controller before another loud bang was fired, destroying her characters shield and forcing her to retreat. I tried to follow suit as well but the next shot that was fired blew through my character's head, sending her flying sideways as my own countdown started. I'll admit that the physics for this game are hilarious, so at least losing gives me a show.

"That's a lot better..." Rom said as she immersed herself into the game again...I'm beginning to have second thoughts on the way we do our drills. Was she like this when she was launching snowballs on me and Mina a while ago?

My respawn timer had finally finished ticking and I did my best to sprint towards where I last saw Vert, who had ducked into a nearby tunnel. Asking her what the plan was would be stupid since our opponents are sitting in the same room, but I think I understood what the plan was. We both swiftly navigated the small cave system and came to an opening that led to the other base but we stopped short as something small came flying in, landing with a metallic clink. "Blanc, get out of here!" Vert was able to escape with her life thanks to an evasive roll, and I would've been able to do the same had I known the controls but I was forced to play the waiting game as my timer started counting down again. That book I was given is looking pretty nice right about now...

"Ah ha ha ha! Gotcha Blanc!" I should've known that between them Ram would be the one to do something chaotic like blindly throwing grenades...although I doubt it was a random toss since Rom has accused her of 'screen looking' back home with our games. I'll keep my accusations to myself for a change, this is supposed to be Vert's time to shine and she's doing a good job of staying alive. "Where are you Vert?~" I think I'm going to keep track of what games the girls play from now on, between Rom's silence and cold demeanor and Ram's laughter and...active playstyle I'm beginning to think I've ended up with monsters for sisters. Not that I mind, but-

"I thought you were good at video games Blanc." Vert chimed in as she mashed vigorously on what I assumed was the dodge button again as she came under heavy fire. "Oh, we only have three lives by the way since this is supposed to be a warm up, so I suggest you pick up the pace unless you want to hand your siblings another easy point." As I respawned and trudged back to the enemy base I had this increasing urge to blow myself up so they could have their way with Vert. Their victory will be anything but swift because they have a tendency to play with food they like. I'm pretty sure that's why they're doing their best to eliminate me so they can have Vert to themselves but I can't just hand them another point. "Perhaps you should've read that guide I gave you before we started."

"Perhaps you should-" In my attempt to take cover near a large pile of rocks and defend myself I got tagged with a small hissing mass of blue goo from out of nowhere and tossed the controller aside. "I'll get started..." Ram started giggling like a lunatic as I decided to take an honest look at the book Vert gave me that was simply titled Leanbox Style. Ugh...this sounds like something Noire would've written up but after actually opening it it doesn't seem too bad. A nice orderly table of contents show that there's a guide to the do's and don'ts of MMOs, taking care of a Leanbox console, where the various Marketplaces are and what's in them, how to play like the best Leanbox has to offer and...how to make big sister Vert happy...with a list of games belonging to that genre so I think I'll skip that unless she needs a pick-me-up.

"Now the real fun begins! C'mon Rom, let's make Vert squirm!"

"Ok."

She'll probably have an easier time soloing them since I needed babysitting apparently. It already sounds like the match is picking up as rapid fire and explosions filled the room along with the cheerful noises of the twins and frustrated groans and yelps from Vert. There's something that's bothering me though, it feels like something is...missing. Something annoying and grating...Chika! I put the weird book aside and got up to go look for that pain in the ass oracle, since she's normally at least a room away or glued to the best sister in the world. She's not in the kitchen...or the veranda...or any where I would normally go except for her room, which wasn't all that hard to find since it's only a short walk from Vert's. I knocked on her door a few times and after getting no answer, I spoke up as calmly as I could. "Hey, Chika." The low roar of a computer was the only noise I heard in response but I kept talking in hopes that maybe we could start getting along better for Vert's sake. "Would you mind stepping out here for a second or two? We need to talk."

Still no answer. I would've expected a snarky comment about me ruining the way things work around here or how Vert belongs to her and only her or at least a flat remark. This is strange though, I've walked in on these two marathoning games plenty of times and I could've sworn that when things got serious they'd be clicking furiously...but there's no noise aside from her computer, not even music.

"Chika?"

"...Go...away..." A raspy voiced whispered over the loud sound in her room, followed by a soft thud. "...lea..."

"Chika!" What the hell is she doing in-the door...the door's locked! I let loose my hardest strikes and tried to bash the door down with my fists, but it wasn't budging. Damn basilicoms are built too well, I don't think I'll be able to break through even with my hammer. There's no time to waste in trying though, I need to get Vert to open this door as soon as possible. I ran back to the gaming room so hard that I nearly slid passed it and had to catch myself on the door frame.

"Blanc? What's the matter?"

"Your keys dammit! It's Chika!"

"What about her?" Vert stood up without even attempting to pause the game and came towards me with a concerned look on her face. I grabbed her by the hand and put so much effort into dragging her back with me that I didn't even bother try to explain the situation. "What in the world is going on? The last time I saw Chika was shortly after I told her we'd be having company. She said she'd stay out of the way-"

"You let her?" We came sliding to a halt as I pointed at the doorknob. "She barely spoke to me and I heard a thud a few seconds ago. I need you to open the door, now." I shouldn't be getting this worked up over this but...if it's in any way my fault I need to get this sorted out. I rubbed my temples as Vert hastily unlocked the door and gasped as she ran inside. I turned to see Chika, collapsed on the ground, being cradled and called to by the woman she dedicated her life to.

"Ch-chika! What did you do?! What happened?!" If she wasn't trying to shake her awake I would've left the two of them alone for a moment, but this isn't helping at all and I had to interfere before something even worse happened. "Sh-she's having trouble breathing and she's burning up! What do I do?!" It was getting more and more difficult to stay calm with Vert crying her eyes out and latching onto my shoulders now. I'm worried, and frustrated, that this has happened as well but losing my mind isn't going to help anyone.

"Quit freaking out and call Compa." No, I have to get her out of here so I can get Chika settled in without a fuss, she's in no condition to help. "Better yet you should personally bring her back for a house call, I'm pretty sure Neptune has her occupied with something small as usual." Probably suffering at the hands of her bumbling, no-fun-allowed other half, I just hope she's well.

"But-"

"I took care of you, didn't I? Go, I'll handle this." I picked Chika up with no problem and started carrying her while Vert ran as fast she could out of the basilicom. The twins had come to see what was happening, and while they both gasped Rom was already comforting her sister and getting ready to help out. They've both helped out when an emergency came up in Lowee a few times and were pretty used to helping out, but this was a slight shock to them since this trip that was supposed to be all play and no work. "Rom, go prepare some juice and soup. Ram, get some towels, dampen them up, and give them the cold treatment." They nodded with a look of determination in their eyes as they split up to do their assigned tasks. "As for you, Chika, your ass is under my care whether you like it or not."


	10. Chapter 4, Part 2

_We return to the nurses in the little trauma they've set up in Vert's room, who are in charge of tracking the health of a very ill oracle. It was bad enough that things were shaky between them, but now that Chika's life is in Blanc's hands will things take a turn for the better? Or worse? Scratch that, her life is also in the twin's hands...she may be doomed after all..._

* * *

"You're a dumbass, you know that?" I have no idea why I'm even talking to Chika right now, she's been unconscious ever since Vert left. I ended up taking her out of her own room since it was getting uncomfortably hot thanks to the door being closed, ruining the circulation of fresh air and making things worse than they already were if she was really in there for days on end. I'm sure she won't mind being dropped off in Vert's room-no, I'm positive being in here will help the healing process...somehow.

"I got a tow-" Ram came bounding around the corner with a worried look on her face before stopping in her tracks and walking quietly towards us. "I got a towel." She whispered as she handed it to me and watched silently as I applied it to our patient's forehead. She's gotten pretty good at controlling just how much she chills something, when she first started doing this we'd end up with unusable, fragile, stiff pieces of cloth that needed thawing...provided they didn't shatter. "So like, what happened to her?" I felt my chest tightened as that question sank in because the first thing that came to mind was...I happened. This couldn't have happened because of me though, she would've clung to Vert's side like mad and done everything in her power to gain her favor...or at least, that's what I want to believe.

"I can't say for sure, but this is why you take breaks often when playing games. I'm sure she'll be fine with our help though. Get another towel or two ready, it doesn't hurt to have extras." I gave her a reassuring shoulder rub and sent her on her way before turning my attention back to Chika, who had started breathing regularly now thanks to being cooled down.

I'm tempted to call or text Vert to see how she's doing, but that might do more harm than good and and make her come back without our professional nurse. I'll just put my phone on the nightstand so that I have enough time to think twice in case I reach for it. "...ngh..." She's showing noticeable signs of improvement already so maybe a drink and a little food Chika will wake up. "Wh...why..."

"Why what?" I asked without thinking. She's stirring in her sleep and is probably having a bad dream...or a nightmare if I'm involved in any way. I sighed and looked back towards the door, waiting for Rom to show up with either juice or soup. If I had known I'd be by Vert's bedside again taking care of the sick I would've taken more health classes from Compa. Actually, with Noire having finally made her move and endangering Neptune I'm sure she has her hands full most of the time now.

"Um...soup's ready." While I appreciate Rom being quieter about entering the room she did so with such caution that it seemed like she was carrying something so slowly that I wouldn't be surprised if it cooled by the time she got here. "I hope she likes chicken noodles."

"I'm sure she she will. Would you mind getting her something to drink in case she wakes up? After that you can help Ram or-"

"Oooh..." Our patient's groan silenced me mid-sentence as she slowly moved around in place. Her face was slightly flushed and her eyes were barely opened, but I think she might conveniently be waking up. I motioned for Rom to wait as I propped Chika up...or try to at least, but her body must've tensed up thanks to her fever because I had to deal with a little resistance. "Nnngh...no..."

"This is...for your own good...dammit..." I struggled for a seconds to get her up and after all was said and done, I came out on top. "There." She was out of breath and gave me an annoyed look, which I can't blame her thanks to our slightly rude awakening. I took the bowl from Rom and redirected my attention back to Chika. "Alright, open up." I held up a spoonful of soup for her to eat but she folded her arms and looked away.

"I-I can't..."

I inched the spoon a little closer to her face. "You can."

"Nuh-uh." Huh, she's no different from Ram when she gets sick. She can pout and cry all she wants but she knows what she needs and will cave eventually. But Chika isn't my little sister so I can afford to be a little reckless with making her eat food.

"Oh well, I'm going in regardless." I slowly continued my advance towards Chika's face, showing no signs of stopping...closer and closer, I'm almost at her cheek already. "Would be a shame if Vert came back to see you making a mess in her bed of all places."

I just barely grazed her cheek as she spun towards me and clamped down on the spoon with a groan. Her arms were still folded and she still looked red in the face but I can't complain about progress, no matter how little it is. "Ha, looks like you can after all." Even though it feels like I'm feeding a big baby it still felt as good as making Ram do what was best for her. I smirked to myself as Chika finished the spoonful of soup and stared at me with the usual irked expression I often get from her.

"Hmph..."

Despite her constant grumbling and protests she let me feed her until every drop of soup was gone. The spoon clinked against the bottom of the bowl as I sat it next to my phone and couldn't help but to give Chika a smile. I guess this isn't too bad when she isn't being a total pain in the ass and whining about me or something. "Was that so hard? Do you give Vert this much trouble when you get sick?" I got up to check to see what was taking Rom so long and nearly bumped into her at the entrance. She looked like she was about to cry as she handed me a large glass full of orange juice, revealing a large wet spot on her shirt.

"S-sorry, the jug was really heavy and I ended up spilling some all over me and-"

"It's ok, you still managed to bring some. I'll send Ram to help you if you need help." I patted her on the head to show her that everything will be fine and most importantly, I'm not mad, and went back to sit down next to Chika. I gave her the glass and let my eyes wander around the room, since staring at her drinking would be a little creepy for the both of us.

"Vert...rarely takes care of me when I'm sick..."

"What?" I turned back to see Chika finishing her glass at alarming speeds and letting it, and her hands, rest in her lap as she looked at me. "Are you saying..."

"That whenever I get sick she ignores me? Yeah...she's too busy getting loot to worry about me so I'm often on my own when something like this happens. If-no, when I fall behind in levels that's yet another game I can't play with her..." She let out a dejected sigh as someone knocked on the door.

"Oh good, she's awake!" I should appreciate how cheery Ram can get when things start looking up but she lacks...restraint when it comes to expressing herself in a situation like this. "You feeling ok Chika? Is your head spinning? Are you burning up? Do we look-"

"Rom needs help in the kitchen." I said with a hint of command in my voice as I took her fresh towel. "After you're both done feel free to do whatever." She nodded with a little grunt and ran towards the kitchen, leaving the both of us alone again. After taking the glass away from her and changing her towel I decided to pick the conversation up again. "Why the hell would you lock yourself in your room anyway?"

"I'm in the way, aren't I?"

"Of what?" I had to cut myself short because I don't like where this conversation is going and the last thing I need to do now is snap at her. "Are you trying to say you're what stands between me and Vert? Because that's a damn lie if-" No. Keep telling yourself she's sick and as a result she's nuts.

"N-no...not anymore..." She began fooling around with her fingers and looked down at her lap. "I mean, at first I thought you were really trying to take Vert away from me and I was terrified of losing her. She's all I have and..." Chika let loose yet another sigh and looked up at me with a little smile on her face. "Look, since you went through all this trouble can we..." Her voice trailed off as her face slowly began to contort in horror. When I turned to look all I saw was Vert who...

...went outside with all that stuff on her face! "Kh...kh..." Who all saw her? She must not have gotten very far if she's already back, but I have to hold it in, this isn't the time for funny business. Chika's going to flip out when she recovers from her shock. I cleared my throat and decided to break the silence by trying to ask what Vert was doing back so soon but she cut me off.

"This is a surprise, I wouldn't have expected the two of you to get along so well in my room...on my...bed." I thought she wouldn't mind me nursing Chika back to health in her bed, but her stern expression and folded arms said otherwise. She tapped her elbow with her finger impatiently as she stood there staring at us. "Well? What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"It's her fault we're in here!"

We said simultaneously, accusing each other of whatever we were in trouble for. Unfortunately for Chika she was bed-ridden and I jumped up to properly defend myself from whatever crazy idea Vert has floating around in her head. "Her room was too hot and I thought you wouldn't mind! Don't even pretend that-"

"I'm just teasing." She pulled me in suddenly and I was face to chest with her once again, and I awkwardly stood there wondering of all things...how mad Chika must be right now. That's the last thing I should be worrying when I'm such a soft, warm place though... "Well then," she knelt down a little to bring her face closer to mine and I felt my hair stand on end as she looked into my eyes. "how about a proper welcome back, Blanc?"

I was caught off guard and couldn't resist as she pressed her nose against mine and giggled mischievously. I heard a faint, guttural chain of 'ah's slowly getting louder and louder behind me, as if to grow in sync with my excitement and panic. We can't do this in front of other people, especially not her oracle! What the hell is wrong with her? This is too sudden, I-I can't-

"Aaaaaah!" An ear-piercing screech erupted from behind me as something soft and wet slapped against the back of my neck, sending me forward a little and connecting my lips with Vert accidentally. The light sound of our kiss was more than enough bring out another shriek and before I knew it I was stumbling backwards and watching Chika step in front of Vert. "It's not fair!"

"I knew this was another one of your acts. You weren't sick at all!"

Chika spun around and hugged Vert with all her might while sobbing. "I wouldn't have needed to do this had you been the one to come check on me! I bet you sent Blanc to drop by because you were too busy playing games!"

"While you locked yourself in your room for whatever reason, I was busy preparing to entertain our guests...or rather, our family. Had you helped out you would've enjoyed a breakfast feast and little fun with the twins. Why would you do this to yourself?"

"I wanted Blanc to leave..." Chika let go of Vert and backed off a little bit. "That is...until she started taking care of me, which got me thinking..."

"How should I try to drive her away without giving her a proper chance? Hm?"

I stood there in disbelief as I watched the two of them go back and forth; Vert trying to reprimand her oracle while Chika goes on and on about me being nicer than she thought or something. What gets me is that it seems Chika was faking her illness somehow, and I ended up taking the bait and making Vert fall for it...temporarily at least. "You mean to tell me..." I clinched both my fists and gritted as I stared at both of them. "...that you suckered me into treating you like one of my own!? You even got my sisters with your bullshit!"

"Ah, no Blanc!" Vert once again ran towards me and held me close in an attempt to keep me calm, but it's going to take more than her and her dirty pair to stop me from getting my hands on her bratty oracle. "It's just her way of trying to get attention like the twins! You're supposed to be taking a page from my book, remember? Let me handle this."

As she said that I heard the sound of footsteps approaching and the sound of one of my own pranksters speak up. "Why is Blanc freaking out so much?"

"I-It's nothing Ram, Chika just went a little too far with a prank of her own and your sister wasn't ready for it." Dammit, we apologized to each other about yesterday's incident. I have to keep it together for their sake, I don't want to scare them into being completely obedient...they just wouldn't be my Ram and Rom if they were. I settled for deep breathing and closing my eyes in hopes that all my stress would just go away. Unfortunately I forgot where I was breathing and this time Vert wasn't letting go. "Ahaha.~ See? Everything's normal as can be." Pfft...she's lucky we have company or I'd...

"I hope so, you two were acting all weird earlier this morning before-oops."

"How so?" Vert asked the question that popped into both our heads when Ram almost let something slip. For some reason Rom spoke in her place while I heard a gasp, more than likely someone covering their mouth.

"When we walked in on you two this morning...you were nibbling on Blanc's ear while she was transformed for some reason." Wh-what did Rom just say!? "You were humming or something too and the both of you were red in the face, so that gave us the idea of draw-"

"Now you'll ruin the surprise! Things look fine so let's get out of here." The torrent of rage that had been swelling within me thanks to Chika had faded away as the twins scurried out of the room...and as my breathing became more troublesome.

After a few seconds of struggling I managed to adjust my face upwards for some air and was about to tell Vert to let go of me, for the sake of her oracle's sanity, when I noticed some strange marks on the pillowy prison I had freed myself from. "If Lady Blanc is done having a meltd...is calmed down, may I ask a question?" Was showing her I gave a damn about her enough to get some respect? "Why did you let the twins ruin your face?"

"Hm?" I was released by my partner and was left to wonder what caused those black marks to appear while Vert checked her face out in the mirror. "Oh my, it seems they've gotten the best of me as well." She giggled as the words 'as well' sank in before I bolted towards the mirror to look at the messy remains of my sisters' art that smeared my face. "You were supposed to be a fancy cat as well, but we had breakfast to manage so-"

"Do I look like I care what I was supposed to be?" Deep down I think do since I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I remembered the girls tricking me into thinking that Vert was the only one that suffered. Clever little girls, to think that they'd go back to pranking right after what happened yesterday, although I'm kind of glad actually. I must've made it obvious that I was going to chase them even if they meant well because Vert got that competitive look in her eye before grabbing me by the shoulders. "What? I just want to show Ram and Rom how much I appreciate their...drawings."

"Allow me." Chika walked up to the both of us calmly, proving that she was fine after all, and took me off her superior's hands. As much as I hate to say it she's a damn good actor, although heating herself up is going a little too far in my books. Why she thought she could stop me was beyond me until she started slyly guiding us towards the door. "Care to teach your sisters a lesson for defiling my Lady's face?"

We smirked as she took the lead with Vert chasing after us in protest. "You too, Chika?"

"Oh calm down, Vert." I said as I blocked her path, giving my new ally a head start. "The most we'll do is return the favor and use their faces as canvases or something." I wanted to buy even more time but I heard a slip and a thud and the both of us went to investigate the noise.

"Wh-what's with this wall of ice?!" Chika was flat on her ass and staring a thin, yet sturdy, looking frozen barrier with two blurry figures standing on the other side laughing.

"Took you look enough! We were afraid we'd have to add another layer or two because you're all so slow."

"Don't hold it against them Chika, they were only having a little fun at my expense. A little ink never hurt anyone." Vert said as she walked towards the icy wall that stood between us and the mischief makers. She touched it and laughed to herself, completely unaware of what they had in store for us.

"Enjoy our work, Vert. We're gonna go play with your dolls..."

The ice at Vert's fingertips cracked a little the moment Rom said dolls and she shuddered a little. "Y-you aren't referring to MY figures in the other room, are you?"

"What other dolls are there?" Ram took her sister by the hand and reinforced the wall before running away. "They're so pretty and in such expensive looking boxes that they're begging to be played with! Don't worry, we'll take good care of them!" They were gone before even more cracks spread out from where Vert's fingers were...and upon a quick inspection her fingers had barely pierced the wall.

"We need to stop them!" She bolted in the other direction but nearly slipped as we all realized that the floor has been iced over behind us. I don't know how long it took them to set this up but I have to hand it to them, they've set us up pretty good.

"Why?" I asked mockingly. "A little playtime never hurt anyone, right?"

And this marked the first of many chaotic days of chasing Ram and Rom around with the help of Vert and her oracle. Speaking of which, Chika and Mina took turns looking after the twins when we decided to get some work done; I decided to help Vert in regards to putting her stamina to better use while she insists on helping with my rage management. Needless to say our attempts haven't gotten us very far but according to her 'it's all about the journey'...and I wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

_Or not. They say love makes you do crazy things, and well, Chika has plenty of crazy to spare if she's willing to go through all this for attention. Shame her plan backfired but who would've thought Blanc gave a damn in the end? Things will definitely get even more hectic now that our Vert-crazed oracle has more or less accepted Blanc, Ram, and Rom as family as well (and it'll probably take them a while to catch on to her tricks, not that she minds the attention). Whoever is next is as good as anyone's guess, if there is a next time. You can't rush magic (not that I'd call my stuff that) but I hope you enjoyed this little adventure all the same. Until next time. Oh, and don't worry about Mina, she's doing fine.  
_


End file.
